Muv Luv Alternative Total Eclipse: The Second Eishi
by Zeronotsukaimafan7
Summary: Set two years after the events of Total Eclipse, Japanese-Australian Eishi and former Second Lt. of ABNIA(Anti-BETA Nations Imperial Army), Akihiro Flynn is enlisted onto the renamed CX4 Project by Japanese Second Lt. Takamura Yui. A tale of tragedy, camaraderie, love, duty and vengeance awaits for both the new and returning cast!
1. Prologue

-2001-

After four weeks of futile attempts at negotiation to keep the XFJ project up and running after the Yukon Base incident, Takamura could do nothing but wait on the plane as the news covers the XFJ project being shut down by The Japanese government officials.

"..I refuse to acknowledge that this is the end." Takamura thought to herself.

Once the plane landed in Kyoto, she picked up her bags and walked into the airport. She was picked up by a limo and she reflected upon the times she had with US 2nd Bridges. She refused to believe that this was the end. When Yui arrived at her home, she listened to an answer machine message that was left behind by chairman, Masashi Kisaragi.

" . I know this project meant a lot to you. But the board voted kick the main pilot off the development team."

Wait, did she hear that right? Why would they choose to kick Yuuya off the project, the man who was mostly responsible for making the Shiranui Type-2 the way it is today?

-2003-

Around two years after the project's shutdown, she made a proposal to the government during a meeting about military affairs. She proposed to start up a new TSF development project with a new main test pilot.

"I have come today to make a proposal. To start a new project of TSF development under a new name with a new main test pilot. Since Lt. Bridges was kicked off the project, We'll have to start a new project under a new name. Project White Glint."

Some of the board members looked at her, thinking that she was insane. However, the majority agreed with her proposal.

"All in favor of Takamura's proposal." The chairman of the board asked. The majority of them raised their hands.

"All those against." The chairman said. None of them objected.

"Alright, Lt. Takamura. We will give you permission to start the project and we will fund it. However, whoever becomes your main test pilot will be up to you." said the chairman.

"Sir, may I put forward a candidate for the main test pilot?" said one of the board members.

"You may." said the Chairman.

"I suggest a pilot who goes by the name "Akihiro Flynn". He served in the Anti-BETA Nations Imperial Army six years ago and has taken down more BETA than his subordinates." He said.

This information piqued Yui's curiosity. Who exactly was this man? Could he be the answer that she was looking for to develop the most effective TSF against the BETA?

However, at that moment, A man who looked like he was in his 50's walked in. This man was none other than the head of the Razenack Corporation, Ridley Abbott.

"Razenack CEO, Ridley Abbott." said the Chairman who watched Ridley walk in. He was listening to their conversation about bringing Akihiro Flynn onto the new development team.

"I would gladly recommend that Akihiro Flynn joins the new development team. He was the leading pilot in my unit six years ago. And trust me, me and my company will do whatever it takes to destroy the BETA. I promise, you won't regret this decision." He said with a calm, yet nerve racking grin.

Yui was unsure if she could trust this man. However, if he really had associated with Akihiro Flynn in the past, then it shouldn't be too much of a worry. Provided that Abbott can actually be trusted.

This, is the story of how those events came to transpire...

-Muv Luv Alternative Total Eclipse: The Second Eishi-

-To Be Continued-


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The End

-Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The End-

-Guinea, South Africa-

In the continent of Africa and the nation of Guinea, A man of Japanese-Australian descent with medium-long black hair, brown eyes, light complexion and a fairly muscular build was working in a mine for a local company in the area. He was accompanied in the area by several co-workers. Including those who already worked for the company prior to his arrival.

He was sitting in a mining drill, which was powered by a TSF generator, which have become standard issue since the TSF development period two years ago. This was a period where technology adavanced at an alarming rate and profits were booming for corporations, who took advantage of the situation.

"HR1242, Akihiro Flynn, unlocked." said a woman over a radio inside the mining drill. The drill was lowered into position, ready to drill into the ground. Within seconds, the drill was operating and drilling to the ground in search of a new type of aluminium , which could be vital to the development of the military TSFs.

"Alison, I recall it now. Who the winner of the last footy league were." said Akihiro to the woman over the radio.

"No talking whie you're driving, Akihiro! Otherwise you might crash!" she said over the radio to Akihiro.

"It's a shame that I wasn't there to see it. I heard the guys at the bar went crazy the other day when Australia scored." said Akihiro.

"No kidding! One of them threw his beer up at the ceiling because he couldn't contain himself." said Alison over the radio.

All of a sudden, Akihiro saw a bright glowing light while he was drilling. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he decided to change course so he could follow the glowing light. He quickly realized that this was not from a man made source.

"I detected a strong surge of energy, I'm gonna check it out." said Akihiro.

Before a reply could be made, A scream was heard and the signal to Alison was suddenly cut off.

"Alison?! Alison, come in!" Akihiro said in a panic. He turned his attention back towards the glow. He drilled deeper into the ground until he finally reached the source. Shortly after arriving, he came to a terrifying realization: This was a BETA nest! The BETA hatched from their "Eggs" and started brutally killing and eating Akihiro's co-workers.

The villagers who were above screamed and ran for their lives, but a majority of them were killed and eaten by the BETA. This went from being just a normal working day into a downright nightmare. The worst would be confirmed for the governments of the world: The BETA have returned.

Akihiro ran for his life. He ran until he tripped over a wire and stumbled into a cave. He spotted something he knew from his past. A TSF. A 1993 Guerilla A6, ABNIA standard edition. He quickly climbed inside the TSF and landed in the cockpit. He quickly activated the TSF using the installed jumpstart system before he let out a panicked scream.

"MOVE!" he screamed before the TSF blasted out of the mining site.

He flew up and managed to kill some of the BETA that were coming towards him by using the machine guns that were implanted onto the Guerilla. He managed to get to the skies before he was greatly outnumbered by the BETA.

"Akihiro, what happened?!" said a familiar voice over the radio. Akihiro answered from the TSF he was currently piloting.

"...The BETA are back. Please, take care of yourself Alison." he replied.

"What?!" Alison said before Akihiro cut her off.

The TSF took to the skies and escaped from Guinea before it was overrun by BETA. Akihiro flew across the ocean in the TSF that he used to call "partner". That was a long time ago, but little did he know, fate was about to prepare something different for him.

-Japan-

A big, Black TSF was stationary in Kyoto. It seemed to be keeping track of Akihiro's progress since it flew out of Guinea.

"Hmhm...So you decided to come back, Akihiro?" said a familiar voice.

-To Be Continued-


	3. Chapter 2: Past Tensions

-Chapter 2: Past Tensions-

-Takamura Estate-

Yui Takamura prepared to leave for another meeting with the with the Japanese ministry of defence. Just as she was about to leave, the news showed a glimmer of hope, which would come from an unlikely source. What could this mean?

"We've just confirmed reports that an unidentified TSF is entering the borders. It has just arrived after travelling over the Indian Ocean. But according to military veterans, this is a model that was used in the BETA attack in South America six years ago." Said a female news reporter on the television."

"A TSF from...six years ago?" Yui said to herself. Is this that "Akihiro Flynn" person that one person from the board meeting? If this is the case, then she knew she had to meet him in person. She called the ministry of defence and told her that she may be late to the meeting due to the sudden arrival of an early generation TSF. But, he was about to break to her some unnerving news.

" , the BETA have returned. And it looks like they're stronger than ever." said the leader of the Japanese Ministry Of Defence, Tatsuya Masashi, who was present at the meeting.

"...The outbreak that started in Africa." said Yui.

"Correct. This could be the start of something worse than last time. I do hope for Japan's and world's sake, you have found the pilot you are looking for. Otherwise..." Said Tatsuya.

"I know. But I promise you it won't come to that. And I think I have found him. I just have to meet him in person. If his military records and the rumors are true, then we'll have some hope to push back the BETA once again." said Yui as he held Akihiro's military records.

-Kyoto, Japan-

As Akihiro began to fly over the continent of Asia and over Japan, He was suddenly ambushed by the mysterious TSF that was keeping track of his progress from earlier.

"What?!" Exclaimed Akihiko as he flew his TSF up to avoid a shot from the Black TSF.

"It's been a while, Akihiro.. I see you've been busy." said a voice from the Black TSF. Akihiro immediately knew who it was. The same man who was responsible for the deaths of his comerades.

"Abbott!" Akihiro yelled in anger as he charged at him in his TSF, but it was to no avail as the Black TSF teleported behind him and shot Akihiro's Guerilla in the back canon. The TSF took some heavy damage and was almost forced to land, but Akihiro managed to keep it up right.

"Guh!" Akihiro exclaimed after taking a hit from Abbott's weapon.

"How did he get behind me so quickly?!"

"Your skills have gotten worse, Akihiro. Looks like you've gotten a little too comfortable." said Abbott before he fired one final shot through the back.

"GUAAAGGGH!"

This time, Akihiro was forced to crash land. He desperately tries to control the TSF, but it was to no avail as he crashed heavily into Kyoto Station. Akihiro managed to emerge from the TSF. He was not injured, but he was a little shaken by the impact.

Before he started walking, A limousine arrived at the ruins of Kyoto station. It pulled up near the wreckage of the last-generation TSF. After the limousine stopped, a young woman stepped out and walked towards Akihiro.

"Akihiro Flynn, correct? I have heard a lot about you." said the young woman. It was Japanese Lt. Yui Takamura, the former head of the XFJ Project. Akihiro felt this strange aura about her. He immediately couldn't trust her.

"Lt. Yui Takamura, right? I heard about you from the TV. I don't serve in the military anymore." said Akihiro in an untrusting tone.

"..We need you, Akihiro. The BETA will overrun this world if we, as a planet, don't work together." said Yui.

"How do I know that you're not just planning something?.." asked Akihiro, still not trusting her.

"But-!" said Yui before she was interrupted.

"That's enough, Lt. Takamura." said a man, who walked in from behind. It was none other than Akihiro's former superior, Ridley Abbott. Yui stepped aside as Ridley walked in.

"Akihiro, it's good to see you again after six years." he said with a calm, yet sinister grin.

"Abbott..." said Akihiro with nothing but hostility in his voice. He clenched his fists and his teeth. The person of his chagrin was right there.

Yui mentally questioned herself about really trusting Abbott, but that was not important for the time being. What really mattered is if Akihiro is really the man to pilot the TSF that was being developed by US Eishi, Yuuya Bridges.

"..This may end badly.." she thought to herself.

-To Be Continued-


	4. Chapter 3: Ignition

-Chapter 3: Ignition-

-Japanese Ministry Of Defence-

The leader of the Japanese Ministry Of Defence, Tatsuya Masashi has called for a meeting on the recent resurfacing of the BETA and the recent attacks in Guinea. Stop the BETA from spreading any further. This became the number one priority of the Japanese Ministry Of Defence and International Military Organizations. Though many doubt that accomplishing such an objective would be an easy task, some remained optimistic. This included Tatsuya Masashi.

" , The BETA have managed to reach China. If China is destroyed, then we might as well scrap any hope of survival!" said a board member.

"The Japanese Imperial army are assisting China during this difficult time. But we still need Akihiro Flynn. He could be our only hope for this planet's survival." said Masashi.

-Kyoto Station Ruins-

"You're doing some rather menial work compared to the old days? You been demoted to the outskirts?" said Akihiro in a sarcastic tone.

"Watch your words. You have come back under the command of Lt. Takamura." said Abbott in a snarky tone.

"Come back?! You gotta be kidding!" said Akihiro.

"You must understand that this is not for my sake. But it is for this planet's. If you are unwilling to co-operate, you have just abandoned all hope for this planet. How will you live with yourself, Akihiro?" said Abbott.

Akihiro didn't like the sound of that. But even if he was unwilling to co-operate, he also knew that the world was at stake. He just simply swallowed his pride and accepted the offer. He looked at Yui and gave her his decision.

"Kh...Fine. I'll help you." He said.

Yui felt a smile creep onto her face as she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe things would go smoother than last time with Yuuya. Well, she hoped so anyway. She reverted back to her usual, serious expression and began to speak once more.

"We will fly out to America next monday. Please don't let me down, Ensign Flynn. From this day forth, you are part of the CX4 Development Project." said Yui in a cold tone.

Akihiro couldn't believe that he just agreed to join a project he knew no details about, just out of spite for Ridley. But none of that mattered at the moment. What mattered now was to fly out to America on Monday morning. Yui had arranged a private jet for the two of them to fly out on Monday. This would prove to be the beginning of a long, tiring process of security checks, an exhausting flight, jetlag and cold coffee.

-Yukon Base. November 18, 2003-

The private jet was nearing the Yukon Base in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, the site of a large scale terrorist attack that occurred two years ago. A feeling of nostalgia was present within Akihiro. He could barely believe that he was going to be in a military TSF for the first time in six years. Surely, this will be a difficult transition as the last TSF he piloted was back in 1997.

"So..." Akihiro said as he tried to start a conversation before the plane landed.

Yui looked at him curiously.

"How long have you served in the military?" he asked her.

"Oh, well..."

Before Yui could answer, the plane's tyres hit the runway. Akihiro heard them screech as the plane landed. He grabbed his bag from the compartment above him. Yui also grabbed her things from the compartment above her.

After that was done, they walked down the stairs that was connected to the Jet's entrance. They walked onto soviet soil. This actually proved to be pretty nerve-racking for Akihiro. However, he shrugged off his nervousness and started to walk with Yui towards the base.

Along the way, he could see a woman with silver hair and blue eyes. She had this cold, hostile look. Who was she? And why did she stare at him like that? Did they meet before or was this just some coldness she had towards those who are unknown to her? All Akihiro could do was shrug it off and move along.

Soon after, Yui and Akihiro travelled in an Army Jeep towards the Yukon Base site.

"Once we arrive, you will be introduced to your team members." said Yui.

"Team members?" asked Akihiro.

"It's not just you who is on this development team. There are others as well." said Yui.

Akihiro sat back and looked around as the Jeep he and Yui were travelling towards the site of the Yukon Base. This was quite a technologically advanced-looking base.

"...My old base didn't look anywhere near as good as this." Akihiro thought to himself.

After a short daydream, The Jeep stopped in front of the entrance to the hangar that contained the TSF, Shiranui Type Second. Akihiro looked up at it in awe. Could this be the machine he was asked to pilot?

"The briefing room is this way." said Yui.

Akihiro nodded to her and walked towards the briefing room. As he approached the door, all he could hope for is that everything will go smoothly. But somehow...That feels unlikely.

-To Be Continued-


	5. Chapter 4: The New Flight

-Chapter 4: The First Excercise-

Akihiro entered the briefing room and sat down at an empty desk. There were various Eishi from around the world who were sitting at desks. Two men and two women. Seems simple enough. Though Akihiro did not discount the possibility that more could be on their way, it seems that this is all the squad consists of for now.

In one seat was a blonde, beautiful Swedish female Eishi. In another seat was an Italian male Eishi with long, curly black hair. In another seat was a German female Eishi. He took a seat in between the two females.

"So that's Akihiro Flynn? I heard he was a veteran in the BETA attacks in 1997.." the Italian man whispered to the Swedish woman.

"Yeah. I heard he took out hundreds of BETA in an underequipped TSF. ...And I must say, he's pretty handsome..~" The swedish woman replied quietly.

Two people walked in. It was Yui and the great . She had that same, stern look on her face as always. She saluted the Eishi present in the room. The four Eishi saluted to her back. But, that untrustful feeling returned to Akihiro. It would linger as the session continued. But he decided not to object since he felt that it wasn't the time or the place.

Soon after, Dahl began to speak.

"First, I'll introduce the new Eishi. Ensign Akihiro Flynn of Australia. A former captain of the Anti BETA Nations Imperial Army. He was their leading pilot six years ago. A veteran Eishi and fighter."

"Fiona Ackerfeldt of Germany. A graduate of the American Public University System. Her records show that she has had very little combat experience. So, maybe she can learn a thing or too."

"Now, for the returning Eishi. Stella Bremer of Sweden, Valerio Giacosa of Italy, and Lt. Yui Takamura from the Japanese Imperial Army."

"And lastly, I am Ibrahim Dogulu from Turkey. My rank is Lieutenant. I am the captain of this new flight. Our squad will start the CX4 Project-" said Dahl before he was interrupted due to an old man walking in.

"The CX4 is a revised version of the former XFJ Project from two years ago. It is Boening's attempt to improve the Japanese Military's 94-second-"

"Ahem!" said Dahl.

"Oh, my aplogies!" said the old man.

"This is Frank Heinemann, technical advisor of the Razenack Corporation." said Dahl.

"I welcome everyone." said Frank.

"The goal for today's excercise is for this flight to get to know each other. Before we get on with today, I would like to introduce the CEO of Razenack." said Dahl.

A man walked in. He had a creepy smile and a balding head. He looked like he was in his 50's, but he was only about 42.

Akihiro immediately knew who this was.

"Abbott..." He thought angrily.

"Good morning, everyone. You will all be starting the first excercise will be in our newly designed combat area. It will be 170 kilometers south of a BETA controlled zone filled with Laser class."

No matter how much Akihiro despised this man, all he could do was listen and do as he was told. Just like six years ago. Just like Five years before then. He could only hope that things didn't end up like his final mission.

After a long explanation, Dahl began to speak again.

"That covers the details. I will now announce the teams. Element A: Ensign Ackerfeldt, Ensign Giacosa. Element B: Ensign Bremer, Ensign Flynn. Ensign Flynn will take the captain's TSF in my place, since he is the most experienced."

"Wait!" objected Fiona.

"What is it, Ensign Ackerfeldt?" asked Dahl.

"Why is he the leader of the main unit?" asked Fiona.

"Ensign Flynn is the main pilot of the CX4 project." answered Dahl.

Fiona couldn't really object to that since he was the most experienced. However, she felt a tremendous amount of guild flow through her every time she saw Akihiro's disdainful expression towards Abbott.

"Everybody be in your TSFs and be ready to launch by 13:25. That will be all." said Dahl.

After that, the session was closed. The newly introduced Eishi went into the male and female locker rooms to change into their pilot gear.

In the female changing rooms, Fiona looked like she had a heavy amount on her mind. She looked like she was guilty of something.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Ensign Ackerfeldt?" asked Stella as she undressed.

"...It's Ensign Flynn." she replied.

"What about him? He's pretty good looking if nothing else. And given his achievements in the battle against the BETA, what's not to admire about him? Though, I guess he'll be a little rusty, given the fact that he hasn't piloted a TSF in six years." Stella said as she giggled.

"I suppose so..." said Fiona.

Akihiro was the first to finish changing. He went into the main hangar and looked up at the Captain's TSF. This is what a new model looked like? Akihiro could barely believe his eyes. They looked as if they've advanced so much in terms of technology.

"For the first time...I actually feel...Like I want to pilot a TSF again.." he thought to himself.

-Next Chapter: Sub Chapter-

-To be continued-


	6. Subchapter 1: Panama BETA Attacks, 1993

-Subchapter 1: Panama BETA Attacks, 1993-

Back in 1993, 18 year old ABNIA(Anti BETA Nations Imperial Army) 2nd Lt. Akihiro Flynn led a squad, who were tasked with defending the Capital of Panama from the BETA, who were coming emerging from the sea onto the land. The TSFs from those days were a lot more bulky and slow compared to the ones that are available ten years after.

The conditions were less than pleasant. Sleet. This proved to be a nightmare for those who can't pilot very well in the rain. What made things harder are the laser classes that had been reported to be in the mountains.

"Laser Classes have been located in the mountains. Don't get cocky, Lt. Flynn. Over." said one of Akihiro's superiors over the radio.

"Yeah, yeah.." said Akihiro as he approached Panama with a squad.

The squad landed in the borders of Panama and readied their weapons as they were warned about an incoming BETA attack.

"100 BETA scout class, 12 o'clock!" said the same superior from earlier over the radio.

"Team, hold your position and don't fire until I give the signal." said the captain of the squad.

"Roger!" the team said.

The team held their fire and waited for the BETA to get into the right line of fire. Suddenly, A rumble was felt. It was as they feared: The BETA approached at a rapid rate. Akihiro and the rest of the squad waited for the right moment.

"Fire!" shouted the captain.

The squad started shooting at the BETA. However, Akihiro decided to do things a little differently. He moved out towards the BETA in order fight them directly.

"Lt. Flynn! Return to the squad at once!" said the captain over the radio.

"Shut up! I can take them!" Akihiro lashed out. He approached the BETA, which were mostly Destroyer Class, with just a single rifle and went in with guns ablazing. Despite the amount damage by the sheer number of Destroyer Class BETA, his TSF managed to continue on and Akihiro continued to fight the BETA. Akihiro's comrades were amazed that he could blaze through them at such a lightning fast rate.

"HUUUUUAHHH!" Akihiro yelled out as he killed the BETA left and right.

However, his charge came to a halt when a fort class rose from the ground and targeted Akihiro. He faced the Fort Class alone and as a result, sustained massive damage to his TSF. It seemed like it was all over for him, but he managed to think fast and deploy a missile against the Fort Class.

By pure luck, it hit the Fort Class' vital areas. It was killed after Akihiro decided a fire another missile.

"Just to be safe.." said an exhausted and battered Akihiro. However, the extent of the damage inflicted on the TSF was so great, that the missile launcher he used fell off the back moments later.

"...General Abbott would like a word with you when we return. But...You saved Panama. So I'll ask him to be lenient on you."

"_Back then, things were much more different than they are now. We had each other's back and we were motivated by a single purpose. Not because we worked for an army or a company, but because we wanted to protect the people and the things that mattered to us the most. But...The people who employed us and told us to do our job are motivated by wealth and selfish gain. I was naive about what was wrong and what was right back then. All I knew was...'Follow orders and never question the authority of a superior.'. If you didn't follow that in ABNIA, you would sure as hell be dead. _"

-2003-

Akihiro snapped out of his daydream after being called by Italian Eishi, Valerio Giacosa.

"What brings a Veteran pilot out here, huh?" said Valerio in a casual tone.

"Too many reasons.." Akihiro responded with a cool tone.

"Too many reasons? You know, You kinda remind me of someone I knew. We called him "Top Gun"!" said Valerio in a rather bright tone.

"Top...Gun?" Akihiro asked while cringing at the same time.

-To Be Continued-


	7. Chapter 5: It Begins

-Chapter 5: It Begins..-

"Command post to Argos Flight. Maintain present altitude and cruising speed." said Yui over a radion from the tracking computer.

"600 seconds until operation start point." said another Lieutenant.

After the new ARGOS flight stepped into their TSFs, they were just about ready for the incoming exercise. It was a bright, sunny day and conditions for training were damn near perfect.

However, Akihiro was having trouble trying to adjust to the Practice TSF, Fubuki's oversensitive nature. It felt loose and almost unstable. He opted to use a practice unit after he mentioned to that he had not piloted a TSF in six years and will need a refresher. Yui suggested that he pilots the Practice TSF in order to get a feel for the new TSF's technology.

"Kh! This thing's way too oversensitive!" exclaimed Akihiro as he tried to set his TSF upright. This did prove to be an almost-impossible task as he was falling behind from the rest of the team.

"Keep up, Top Gun 2!" said Valerio in the F-15 Active Eagle.

Akihiro cringed again after hearing that. He just managed to lift the Fubuki to avoid the trees, albeit barely. However, just as they were heading for the training grounds, an all too familiar nightmare that would prove to be all too real would struck the team.

A mix of Grappler and Destroyer Class BETAS were approaching the squad. They discovered that these were not part of a simulation, but were infact real BETA.

"Shit! Argos Flight, Grappler and Destroyer classes at 12 o'clock!" said Akihiro over the radio.

Valerio, Fiona and Stella reacted with horror as they realized that what intended to be a simple training exercise would turn into a real battle with BETA.

"White Fang 1 to Argos Flight, Get out of there now!" said Yui from the Yukon Base Headquarters.

"Belay that. I want to see what they are truly capable of." said Ridley, who was sitting in the main chair with a confident grin.

"But-!" said Yui in desperation.

"Belay the order, Lt. Takamura." said Ridley.

Yui sighed and reluctantly nodded and turned her attention back to the Argos Flight over the radio.

"White Fang 1 to Argos Flight, stand your ground."

"Is she insane?! Argos 1, we can't fight them off, we have to turn back!" said Fiona over the radio.

Akihiro had flashbacks of the time where Ridley had his entire squad sold out to the BETA. He refused to let that happen again.

"...Argos 3, Follow your orders." replied Akihiro.

"Are you serious?! Argos 4, are you hearing this?!" " Fiona replied frantically. Was this really happening? Akihiro is actually electing to go through with this?! Stella sighed and gave her reply.

"It looks like we don't have a choice here.." replied Stella over the radio.

The new Argos flight got in formation and prepared to fight the oncoming BETA. Everyone at HQ were now depending on them. Four pilots. Two new and two familiar were ready to take on the BETA.

"IKE!" yelled Akihiro as he speeds in with only a combat knife, which Fubuki was equipped with. He slices down the BETA, Brutally and one at a time.

"Just as I said, Akihiro. Your skills have gotten worse.." said Ridley over the radio.

Before Akihiro could reply, his TSF was knocked over by a Destroyer class BETA.

"Gagh!" Akihiro exclaimed in pain due to the heavy impact.

The team were quickly getting overwhelmed by the BETA. It seemed that it was all over. The CX4 project would all be for nothing...Until hope came in the form of a Predator-class TSF.

It shot and killed the BETA with a hailstorm of bullets. Soon after, it flew down and sliced more of the BETA in half with it's equipped chainsaws. Akihiro could barely believe that it was taking down the BETA at such a lightning fast rate. The rest of the Argos flight looked on in awe as this occurred.

"What is that thing?.." Akihiro thought to himself.

"Leave here at once.." said a dark female voice.

The unknown TSF speeds off into the distance and heads towards another hangar.

"Wait!" Akihiro called out, but to no avail.

"Argos 1, are you alright?" asked Stella over the radio.

"Been better.." replied Akihiro.

"You sure took a beating back there!" said Valerio over the radio.

The Argos Flight arrived back in their damaged TSFs. They emerged from the cockpits and stepped out. Akihiro stumbled due to feeling a little shakened from eariler. Lt. Takamura was among to first to rush to Akihiro.

"Ensign Flynn, are you alright?!" Yui asked with genuine concern.

"Just about.. Ya know, this wasn't really how I hoped things would go.." replied Akihiro as he walked slowly.

"I'm impressed that you survived out there, Akihiro." said a familiar voice. It was none other than Ridley Abbott. He walked in, looking calm and collected.

"..Did you have something to do with this?!" Akihiro asked angrily.

"You could have gotten us killed back there! It's not funny!"

"I wanted to see how you would fare. ..But it seems that I overestimated you." said Ridley in a condescending tone.

"You son of a bitch..!" Akihiro replied angrily.

"But still, there is room for improvement. If you study the new technology thoroughly, you will be able to grasp it just in time for the actual test day. Until then, practice and study the machine you have been given. Tomorrow, that machine will be a standard edition Shiranui. Now go and get some rest and be up by 6:00 am." said Ridley before walking off.

Akihiro clenched his fists and looked on in anger. This felt just like ABNIA all over again. Like a full circle.

Yui was now more worried than ever about how all of this would turn out. She noticed that he was incredibly hostile towards Abbott. Was it something truly horrible that happened in the past?

Akihiro walked down the Base's main runway. He ended up walking into an alleyway. Along the way, he bumped into a mysterious young girl who had long, snow white hair and blue eyes.

"Hello?" asked the girl as she blushed.

Akihiro turned around and saw the girl. Who was this? Why was she blushing like that?

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"..You remind me of someone I know." said the young girl.

"..Really? Who's that?" asked Akihiro.

"Yup! His name's Yuuya!" said the young girl with an enthusiastic tone.

"Yuuya?.." Akihiro asked curiously.

"Yuuya"? Could this guy be the "Top Gun" Valerio was referring to? Or is it just a coincidence? Either way, Akihiro had to find out.

"Inia!" a female voice called in the distance.

"I have to go now..Bye bye!" said the young girl before she ran off while giggling.

Akihiro felt a little strange after that encounter. But he shrugged it off and walked back to the base and back to the room he was sharing with the Argos Flight. He had a long day ahead of him as he would have to test the new Shiranui unit before he could move onto the Type Second.

-To Be Continued-


	8. Chapter 6: I Found It

-Chapter 6: I Found It..-

A board meeting is held regarding the recent BETA attacks on the training grounds. Investigations continue to try and determine what happened during the first excercise. It could have been just an accident. Or it could have even been that someone released the intentionally.

Either way, it has proved to have a detrimental effect on the project. Most pilots are now unwilling to go out and train because of this incident. To be honest, who can blame them? This new breed has proven to be stronger than ever. However, with the TSF's technlogy evolving and growing at an alarming rate, there may still be some hope for mankind.

"It's hard to determine if someone would release them intentionally. Especially when it's so early into the TSF testing phase." said Chairman Masashi.

"I know, it's hard to believe. But it would have to be the most plausible answer. Also, I would like to point out that TSF technology has rapidly grown in the span of just two years. It's pretty incredible, to be honest." said Lt. Dahl.

"It would also be frightening at the same time. Especially if the technology were to fall into the wrong hands." said Yui.

"That's a good point, Lt. Takamura. I haven't thought of that, to be honest. Now, we have to be weary if we want these excercises to continue. I can't have people on this development team being killed." said Chairman Masashi.

"That's why we want to introduce you to the team who rescued the Argos Flight from the BETA yesterday." said Lt. Dahl.

The door opened from behind them. Two females walked into the room. They looked almost like twins with snow white hair and ice, cold blue eyes. Except one was short and had longer hair and one was tall and had medium-long hair.

Someone who followed them in was a polish man. His name was Jerzy Sandek. He was incharge of the Idar Test Flight, An organization dedicated tasked with experimentation, non-conventional technology, hardware and tactics.

"Chairman Masashi. These are the main test pilots of the Idar Test Flight. Ensign Cryska Barchenowa and Ensign Inia Sestina." said Sandek.

"It's an honor, Chairman." said Cryska.

Chairman Masashi nodded. He noticed how much they looked alike. Now that he has seen them in person, he has a feeling that the rumors about them were indeed true.

"..Lt. Takamura." said Chairman Masashi.

"Yes, chairman?" Yui replied.

"...Keep an eye on Ensign Flynn. He still hasn't got used to the TSFs technology." said Chairman Masashi.

"Yes, chairman." Yui said as she nodded.

After the meeting was over, the next training exercise started Akihiro Flynn was flying the Japanese TSF, The Shiranui Type 2 during an excercise inside a simulation of a BETA hive. His task was to get through checkpoint as quickly and as effeciently as possible. Things were not going well. He lost huge amounts of time when he had a small collission on the ceiling of the hive.

"I can't even maintain proper course?! What the hell?!" shouted Akihiro as he tried deperately to control the TSF. He collided with the wall and scraped the TSF while trying to maintain course. Despite this, his time improved, but only very slightly.

"Damn it! Disabling all pilot safety functions. I'm not letting this piece of shit get the better of me anymore!" he said while he pressed some buttons and managed to shoot down several Sleeper class BETA.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAHHHH!" he screamed as he tried desperately to fly towards the finishing point.

Akihiro got back from his next exercise in the Shiranui He stepped out of the TSF and stormed off in frustration.

However, before he could open the door, The Scarlet Twins walked through. Cryska looked at Akihiro with a cold expression while Inia looked at him with a warm, cheerful expression.

Cryska stopped before she took another step, as if she was about to say something.

"...Study it first. If you don't, your recklessness will result in your death." she said before walking off. Akihiro's anger was at boiling point. He was told that already by Abbott, Now this woman tells him the same thing? This really didn't help at all.

However, he decided to brush it aside as he was called for another test run in the Shiranui. But before he could climb into it once more, Lt. Yui Takamura walked into the hangar and called his name.

"Ensign Flynn. You continue to disappoint me. Turning off pilot safety? You're more reckless than someone else I knew." said Yui in a cold, condescending tone.

"I can't even maintain course in this thing! Is this Japan's idea of a great machine?! It's just an expensive death trap! It's worse than the last piece of crap!" said Akihiro out of frustration.

"The Shiranui Type 1c, which the Type 2 is based on was created with a heavy emphasis on combat capabilities. That, in turn, causes it to sacrifice much of it's mobility to enhance said combat capabilities. It is not an easy machine to pilot. It requires the combination of a delicate touch and a bold spirit as well as exceptional piloting skills. While you may have a bold spirit, you lack a delicate touch. ...Perhaps, it's too much for an old timer like you." said Yui.

Akihiro was riled up by that comment.

"I've only spent sixteen hours in this thing! 30 if we're counting simulations! This thing will be ready when we get to the trials! No matter how hard it is to pilot!" he said angrily, but passionately.

Over the course of several days, Akihiro has several incidents with the Shiranui Type 1c. He almost crashes one day, scrapes the ground during the next, and is unable to maintain course on the third.

"It doesn't matter how "good" this thing is! If it's this unstable, then it's pretty much a disaster waiting to happen! It's an expensive resting place!" said Akihiro angrily.

"You know...I have come to one conclusion. So listen carefully. The CX4 doesn't exist to satisfy your needs. It exists to develop TSFs. And my conclusion is you lack talent!" said Yui in a cold and harsh tone of voice.

After hearing those words, Akihiro stormed off in anger and dejection. He went outside for a walk to cool off and have some time to think.

"...I'll admit that it was working. ...But if she thinks for a second that she's right...I'll blow her right out of the water." he thought to himself, suddenly now more determined than ever to master The Shiranui.

Several hours later, Yui ponders about what she said to Akihiro. She knew he didn't lack talent and that she heard that he could perform much better than he had been displaying. She kept hoping that this was true.

"Akihiro Flynn. ..I will admit...You have been steadily getting better in such a short space of time. It hasn't even been a week. And already..." She thought to herself.

"I want to see what you can really do! Prove that these rumors are true!" she said as she punched against the wall in frustration.

Akihiro looked up at the Shiranui in the Hangar. He thought about giving it another test run to see how he would fare.

"...I'm ready." he thought to himself.

"Ensign Flynn?" said a female voice. It was Fiona Ackerfeldt. She walked into the hangar to check on Akihiro after he stormed out the bedroom so suddenly.

"Is everything alright? You stormed out and didn't tell anyone where you were going. Is this about what happened with Lt. Takamura?"

"..No, it isn't Ensign Ackerfeldt. ..It's just...I want to make this the best machine possible." said Akihiro with a huge amount of sincerity.

Two days later, the Argos Flight went out for their next exercise. Akihiro has studied Japanese philosophy and managed to quickly pick it up. The reason for this is to understand the Shiranui a little better.

"...The 92 second is an incredible machine. I guess all it takes is for me to understand it and study it. I had been pushing away the people who tried to help me. Now, I need to stop doing that. It's time I showed them what I can really do. ..The Shiranui and I have to work together. I won't overpower it again." Akihiro thought to himself.

"Stratos 96-R, 12 o'clock!" said Stella over the radio.

"What?! The American TSF?!" said Valerio over the radio.

A light brown TSF descended down and shot the oncoming BETA Destroyer class at an incredible rate. It aimed at Akihiro!

"Oh no you don't!" said Fiona as she flew towards the TSF, attempting to strike it.

The TSF countered and defeated Fiona with ease.

Stella and Valerio also tried to strike the TSF, only to have themselves defeated as well in the process. After that was done, it landed in front of Akihiro's Shiranui.

"...Give that TSF back.." said an unfamiliar voice over the radio. ..Wait, was this who he thought it was?!

"..Who is this?" asked Akihiro over the radio.

"This is US 2nd Lt. Yuuya Bridges." the voice replied.

"..So you're Yuuya, huh? Why did you abandon your own flight?" Akihiro asked him.

"That's not your business! HUAAAHH!" exclaimed Yuuya as he prepared to strike Akihiro.

Without even thinking, Akihiro countered by blocking with the Royal Guard Blade that he was given at Yui's request. A fight soon ensues between the two.

(Song: Ayami - Apocalypse Of Destiny)

The two TSFs clashed blades several times and fired several shots at one another over the lake. Akihiro attempted to strike Yuuya's Stratos 96-R, but he dodged. He tried again, but the same happened.

"Come on, fight like you mean it!" said Yuuya as he fired several shots at Akihiro.

Akihiro managed to dodge the shots by using Shiranui's thrusters. He had a flashback about overhearing what Yui said about wanting to see what he could really do. He was ready to prove to her that he was a more than capable pilot.

Yuuya was about to strike downards with his blade. But...

"I won't lose here! Not now! Not ever!" said Akihiro as he blocked with his sword and pushed off Yuuya's Stratos 96-R. They were both pushed back by this action.

"Wait, did I actually do that?..Or...Did we both do that? ...I guess this is what the phrase "A man and his horse are one" really meant. ..I guess I'm just like him..I have to face many burdens ahead of me. ..Let's do this, Buddy!" Akihiro thought to himself before charging at Yuuya, who also charges at Akihiro.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUAHHHH!" They both scream.

After that, a clash was heard. Yuuya's blade went flying and he was knocked back.

"Kh!" he exclaimed as his TSF landed on it's back on the dry, parched soil that surrounded tha lake.

"...You're..pretty damn good." said Yuuya over the radio.

"You're not too bad yourself. Do you know Lt. Yui Takamura?" asked Akihiro over the radio.

"Yeah...I worked with her two years ago. And I was Shiranui's original pilot. ..But..After seeing you in battle, I'm gonna to entrust it to you. Think of it as a prize or somethin'." said Yuuya over the radio.

"I see. Did the BETA attack where you were training?" asked Akihiro over the radio.

"Yeah. It's actually worse where I am than where you are. Speaking of that, I'll need to help the others with that." said Yuuya over the radio.

"I see. Good luck with that." said Akihiro over the radio.

"You too. You're gonna need it." said Yuuya before flying off into the sky.

"So..The rumors were true. Though, that wasn't part of the planned exercise." said Dahl over the radio.

"Captain?" asked Akihiro.

"I'm impressed, Ensign Flynn. You do actually have what it takes." said Yui over the radio as she smiled.

"Congrats on beating Top Gun! And in a TSF you could barely even fly before, Top Gun 2!" said Valerio over the radio.

Akihiro cringed after he said that. He didn't like that name at all. But he smiled to himself as he finally managed to master the Shiranui.

"Nice going, Argos-1!" said Fiona over the radio.

"Impressive fight, handsome.~" said Stella over the radio.

Akihiro blushed a little after hearing that from Stella. He won praise from both his teammates and the other flights in the CX4 project.

After Akihiro stepped out of the Shiranui after the rest of the Argos Flight returned, he was greeted with a thunderous applause from the rest of the crew. He saw Yui among the crowd, who was smiling at him. Akihiro smiled to himself as this day belonged to him.

"I knew he had it in him." said Ridley as he was sitting in his office. He had a calm and confident, yet cunning grin on his face.

"...I just hope you're ready for what I've got in store for the rest of the world." he said as he started laughing manically. His laughs echoed as the scene switched to an unknown black TSF in an underground Hangar.

-To Be Continued-


	9. Chapter 7: White Snow, Black Memories

-Chapter 7: White Snow, Black Memories-

A few days after his success in his battle against Yuuya Bridges, Akihiro was called into the next board meeting to discuss the information that was disclosed by Yuuya regarding the severity of the BETA attacks on his end. It was starting to become more and more clear that this was not an accident, but it was that someone was releasing the BETA intentionally.

"Who would release the BETA intentionally?" asked a confused Yui.

"I don't know. But Yuuya said that the BETA attacks were much worse on his end than it is on our end. If that's the case, then there must be something going on down there." said Akihiro.

"It does sound suspicious, now that you put it that way.." said Yui.

"This is strange, indeed. If someone chose to release the BETA intentionally, could they be planning to destroy us? Could it be someone within our ranks?.." Chairman Masashi thought to himself.

In the Idar Flight Hangar, Ensigns Cryska Barchenowa and Inia Sestina were preparing for their next excercise. Their previous TSF, The Su-37 Terminator was retired in favor of the new and more powerful Predator MR4.

"It's been difficult adjusting to this new machine..The handling feels very loose and the stability is less than desirable. But, I cant deny that it's much stronger than the Terminator." Cryska thought to herself.

"Cryska!" Inia called out as she ran down the hallway to the main hangar.

"What is it, Inia?" Cryska asked as she smiled softly.

"Are we gonna see Akihiro today?" asked Inia in her cheerful tone.

Cryska's expression turned into one of worry. Has Inia already grown attached to Akihiro despite the short time she has known him? However, she reverted back to the smile she had and looked at Inia.

"If we see him, then we will." said Cryska.

Inia let out a small giggle after hearing that answer. She was already excited to see Akihiro.

"But we're going for our exercise now, Inia. Maybe we'll see him in the air." said Cryska.

After the meeting was over, exercises continued as normal. Akihiro sets out in the XFJ-01 Shiranui Second Phase 2, which was entrusted to him after his battle against Yuuya Bridges. He is joined by the rest of the Argos Flight who followed him not far behind.

"...What is it, Argos 2?" asked Akihiro over the radio.

"Oh! I-It's nothing, Argos 1.." said Fiona over the radio.

Suddenly, A bleep was heard on the radar.

"What the hell?!" said Valerio over the radio in a panic.

"A Predator MR-4?!" said Stella over the radio.

"...All of you, go on ahead. I've got this." said Akihiro over the radio.

Fiona had no choice but to join her teammates minus Akihiro and proceed to the training grounds ahead. Already, this was starting to feel intense. Akihiro anticipated the moment of their arrival. All of a sudden, He heard what sounded like two voices over the radio.

"Took you long enough...I guess you finally noticed me." said the voices over the radio. Akihiro couldn't quite make out who it was.

"Well with the size of that thing, who wouldn't?" asked Akihiro in a witty manner.

He waited for a response, but he didn't get one.

"Silent treatment, huh? Come on, you wanna play? Let's go!" said Akihiro. The network to them was cut off by the pilots onboard the Predator MR-4.

The Shiranui flew into the sky with the Predator MR-4 chasing him. Both TSFs were flying at intense speeds through the clouds. Akihiro tries to shake them off after the unidentified pilots lock onto him.

"If you wanna beat me, you gotta do better than that!" said Akihiro as he flew the Shiranui and manages to shake off the Predator MR-4's lock-on.

"A logical move..he's good.." said the voices over as the pilots operating the Predator MR-4 flew after him.

"It feels like we fought before..Put down the guns and take out the blades. We're gonna go head to head." said Akihiro as the Shiranui drew it's blade.

"Mmm..I like the way you think." said the voices as they revealed their High-Frequency Chainsaw Blades.

They clashed blades several times as they duelled in the skies. One clash after another, Akihiro could feel a sense of nostalgia while fighting the pilots onboard the Predator MR-4.

"This is starting to feel familiar...I think I know who you are. Guatemala 1996, do you remember?"

"You...You're the same pilot from back then!" said the voices.

"So you do remember me!" said Akihiro with enthusiasm as both TSFs clash blades once more.

After a duel in the skies, The piloting abilities of The Shiranui and The Predator are evenly matched. A communications network opened up and the pilots onboard the Predator reveal themselves as the Scarlet Twins, Cryska Barchenowa and Inia Sestina.

"Akihiro!" said Inia over the radio.

Akihiro was genuinely surprised that it was these two. There were many stories about the Scarlet Twins, but he found out first hand that a lot of them turned out to be true.

"Inia?!" Askihiro asked over the radio.

"That TSF...Yuuya...Bridges..." said Cryska over the radio.

"Yuuya? You know him?" Asked Akihiro.

All of a sudden, The Predator MR-4 flew off in a rush. As if one of the pilots was reminded of a person dear to her, who was sadly kicked off the TSF development project.

"Wait! ..Damn it..Well, I guess I should join the others." Akihiro said to himself as he flew towards the training grounds where his teammates were waiting for him. They got on with their training and managed to collect plenty of data for the development team.

After their exercises were over, they returned to base, had some drinks and basically called it a night soon afterwards. However, Fiona's lack of sleep still continued as she kept thinking about the disdain and hatred Akihiro had towards her stepfather. Was there really something he wasn't telling her?

"Dad...is there something you're not telling me?.." Fiona thought to herself as she layed in her bed pondering at that very thought.

The next day, Akihiro was personally invited to meet the Stratos flight over at the newly constructed Stratos Base in Alaska. After a long drive, he arrived at the base's entrance with Yui, who was also invited. He was greeted by US General Michael Revere and US Second Lieutenant Yuuya Bridges, whom he fought the previous week.

"Ensign Flynn, Lt. Takamura. My name is Michael Revere. I'm a US General and the captain of this flight." said Michael.

"Yui?" asked a surprised Yuuya.

"Yuuya." Yui said with a smile as the two hugged. Akihiro smiled at the sight of this.

"So you made it, huh? The flight must have been a pain in the ass." asked Yuuya as he and Akihiro strolled down the corridor to the main hangar.

"Well, I was invited to come here. I guess to meet the new flight in the development project. Maybe they selected me because I'm the main pilot of the CX4 project." said Akihiro.

The three men stopped at the recently added Cafe area, where two people were sitting and waiting. US Eishis Leon Kuze and Sharon Heim.

"Leon, Sharon. This is the guy I was talking about. Akihiro Flynn. He was a pilot in ABNIA."

"Charmed.~" said Sharon in a flirty tone as she winked at Akihiro.

"Hey.." said Leon in a cold, brash tone.

They sat down and had various discussions. Akihiro felt like he knew them for years as he got along with all three of them quite easily. Sharon often flirted with Akihiro, which ended up with him being flustered. Yui had this feeling everytime Sharon would flirt with the Japanese-Australian.

After a day of testing and discussions, Akihiro and Yui returned to the Yukon Base, where Akihiro rested as he would have another day of testing ahead of him.

Back in the Idar Hangar, Cryska was still pondering about yesterday when she saw the TSF that was previously piloted by the man she previously loved, Yuuya Bridges. This came as a shock because it didn't feel right to her that someone else was piloting that machine when it was developed by the same man who piloted it originally.

"Cryska?" Inia asked as she looked at Cryska's sad, sorrowful expression.

"What is it, Inia?" Cryska asked.

"..Is it about Yuuya? I know what you're thinking...Because we are one." Inia asked her.

Cryska just simply nodded.

"Akihiro is nice too, right?" said Inia in her soft tone.

Cryska's sorrowful expression turned into a sad smile and she answered.

"I guess he is." she said with a slightly brighter smile.

A mysterious figure walked into a secret research facility, which currently carries all the captured BETA. He entered a code and walked through the door into the main research lab. He walked up to a console and felt a grin creep onto his face.

"It's time that we gave war a chance.." said Ridley as he burst into a psychotic laughter as he pressed a button and released the contained BETA. They started escaping and crashing through the research facility and out into the open, where the various classes prepared to walk towards the Yukon Base.

"Now, chairman...It's time I disposed of you." said Ridley as he walked towards the Razenack Company building, where he would arrive and walk into the hangar, where a Black and Red TSF would wait. Only laughter could be heard as the focus was on the TSF.

This would be one of the key events that would change the world as we know it...

-To Be Continued-


	10. Chapter 8: Petals Wither

-Chapter 8: Petals Wither-

-One Day Earlier-

Razenack CEO Ridley Abbott visits the mansion of the leader of the Allegiance, A group of religious fanatics. Ridley saw these people as nuisances and intended on getting rid of them in order to access the BETA facilities and further his agenda. They held a small meeting inside the computer room, where a huge step will be taken towards the start of a world war.

"I see this plan of yours is finally coming into fruition. What else do you plan on doing? How far do you plan on taking this?" asked the Master in his calm tone.

All of a sudden, Ridley pointed a gun at the Master.

"W-what are you doing, Abbott?!" asked the Master with horror in his tone.

"Hmhmhm...Your organization is nothing but an obstacle to me. I will be the one to destroy this world and rebuild it in my own image...A perfect utopia free from parasites like yourself. And sadly, you won't be around to witness this glorious transformation." said Ridley with a sinister grin on his face.

"I gave you the manpower you have! I gave you supplies!" yelled the Master.

"And that's supposed to give you power over me?" asked Ridley in a calm tone.

"..What is this?.." said the Master with fear in his tone.

"..The money, the supplies. I used you in order to get what I wanted. And these things have been important in making my plan possible...until now. Your men are under my command now. They will follow my commands and do exactly as I say. Kill BETA, make technology out of them and become a powerful army. To destroy the Yukon Base to pave way for my new world."

"Wha..What are you?!" yelled the Master.

"I am the idea this world needs to survive. To put the rich and the corrupt and trial...And face execution. Justice will be done...And I'll make sure of it."

"You're..just...pure evil.." said the Master as his trembled in fear.

"I'm necessary evil!" said Ridley as he grinned.

After that, a gunshot was heard. Ridley shot and killed the leader of the Allegiance. His body fell onto the ground in a puddle of blood.

"Sir!" said a guard.

Ridley shoots and kills the guards as well. He takes a keycard from the Master's dead body and walks out of the house. After he does so, he calls an airstrike on the mansion. A squad of bombers appear above the mansion and bombs are dropped onto the structure.

An explosion is seen as Ridley walks towards his company's helicopter. He laughed as he looked at the structure as it falls down.

The next day, Akihiro spent some time with the Scarlet Twins due to Cryska wanting to discuss something urgent with Akihiro. She questioned him about Inia's interest in him, which was beginning to feel more like her previous attachment to Yuuya Bridges two years earlier.

"...What does Inia see in you?" Cryska asked.

"Huh?" Akihiro wondered.

"...All she does is talk about you all the time. I'm starting to worry that she'll wonder off before a mission. What is it that she sees in you?!" Cryska asked angrily.

"I don't know, okay?! She just kept going up to me and started talking!" said a startled Akihiro.

"Cryska, Akihiro? Are you two fighting?" asked Inia with a sad expression.

"No, Inia. We're not. We're just having a discussion." said Akihiro with reassurance.

Inia cheerfully giggled after hearing him say that.

After that was over, the three of them spent some time together. Cryska also wanted to know why the development project recruited him in the first place. The reason being is that she wanted to find out about Yuuya's dismissal from the project.

"Why was Yuuya Bridges kicked off the development project? This sounds suspicious.." asked Cryska.

"I don't know. The higher ups never tell me or anyone else anything. They just expect us to get on with the tasks we're supposed to complete. This is almost like ABNIA all over again.." said Akihiro.

"The Anti BETA Nations Imperial Army? You were said to be an excellent eishi." said Cryska.

"I'm not as good as you, though." said Akihiro.

"No. You've shown me what you were capable of yesterday. And I will admit, I was impressed." said Cryska.

"Heh. I guess it pays growing up in a family who served in the military. I was called the backbone in Australia's military. I seriously doubted that, though. I just tried to push to be the best to make my family proud. And because I wanted to protect them and my country. Sounds cliche, I know...But it's all I got." said Akihiro.

"...You remind me so much of him." said Cryska with a smile.

"You mean Yuuya?" asked Akihiro.

Cryska replied with a nod before speaking again.

"What exactly happened six years ago? I keep hearing about this from people in my flight." questioned Cryska.

"...My last mission. Me and my comrades from ABNIA were escorting some supplies from America to the African frontline. After we succeeded on our mission, we were heading back to where we set up camp. But when we arrived, we saw a huge swarm of BETA. They covered the horizon. In those days, most of the TSFs that are used now were still in their development phases. They were only tested, not used in actual combat. There was a huge strength and number difference between us and the BETA. I asked for immediate reinforcements, but do you know how Abbott replied?..."Give up", he said. I could hear him laughing at the time. He was the one who let the BETA know that we were there. He had to tell the board members in ABNIA that the mission was a failure. In reality, he used this as an excuse. He let the BETA ambush us. He had my comrades killed!" said Akihiro, finding it hard to tell the story without getting emotional.

"...He..sold out his own unit? How can anyone do something so inhuman?" asked Cryska.

"He called it a sacrifice...for a better world. I knew that was bullshit. So I left ABNIA and I swore never to return. ..But...when I met Lt. Takamura, something compelled me to come back. ..This was my chance to get my revenge." said Akihiro.

For the first time, Cryska was at a loss for words. He had endured so much all those years ago. Why would his own superior sell out his own unit just for a supposed "better world"? It just sounded wrong to her.

"Cryska! Akihiro!" called Inia.

"Did you find something cool?" asked Akihiro with a smile.

Inia nodded and gave some flowers she found to Akihiro and Cryska.

"Thanks." Akihiro said with a smile.

"Let's go, Inia. You have to have your shot." Cryska said with a smile.

"Ok!" said Inia cheerfully as she started running and laughing.

"..Family, huh?" said Akihiro while he watched Inia.

Later that day, the alarm in the Yukon Base suddenly went off. A large machine has been detected underground and is heading towards the base. Akihiro was out doing some exercises with the Argos Flight, who were called back by White Fang-1, who is also Yui.

"White Fang-1 to all units! All units must back to base immediately!" said Yui over everyone's radios.

"I've detected something underground. Argos-1 to Argos Flight. I'm gonna check it out." said Akihiro.

"But Lt. Takamura gave us our orders! We have to head back!" said Fiona over the radio.

"You look pretty sure about this." said Valerio over the radio.

"I wanna make sure that whatever is approaching the base right now doesn't reach it. I want to protect Lt. Takamura and all of the others as well." said Akihiro.

"Ooooh! Sounds like someone has a crush on the princess!" teased Valerio over the radio.

"Shut up! Now's not the time for this, Argos-3!" yelled Akihiro.

"I know, I know. I'm just messin' with ya!" said Valerio over the radio.

"Argos-4 to Argos Flight. Maybe we should let Argos-1 handle whatever is underground." said Stella over the radio.

"...Please, be careful, Ensign Flynn." said Fiona over the radio.

"I will, Ensign Ackerfeldt." said Akihiro with a smile.

After that exchange of words was over, Akihiro headed towards the underground facility that leads to the Yukon Base. He flies towards chamber before landing and using the boost system to ground dash. As he progresses through the facility, the shaking worsens.

"Something is definately down here..There's no doubt about it." said Akihiro.

Suddenly, Akihiro heard a transmission coming through. It was none other than...

"Hello there, Akihiro. I knew you would fall for this." said a very familiar voice.

"Abbott..." said Akihiro with anger under his breath.

"I wanted to show you my newest creation from the BETA blood I harvested. And what better way to test it than on the best pilot in ABNIA?" said Ridley as he chuckled.

Akihiro clenched Shiranui's control bars and clenched his teeth in anger as he heard Abbott's condescending chuckle.

All of a sudden, A giant, unfinished mech crashes though the tunnel and destroys the facility. Akihiro quickly reacts and dashes back. He equips himself with just a machine gun and the sword that Shiranui was equipped with.

"Have fun." said Ridley while laughing before cutting off the transmission.

The giant prototype smashed through the tunnel and Akihiro fights it off while the carnage continues. However, he's finding it pretty tough to break through the prototype's defenses. Could this defense be from the harvested BETAs' blood?

"Damn!.." said Akihiro as he tries to fight off the prototype while they move towards the Yukon Base.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you reach the base!" said Akihiro as he dashed and jumped from a wall in the tunnel and manages slice off and disable one of the rectifiers that are keeping it's shield active.

Yui realized where Akihiro was and immediately contacted him via transmission.

"I'm a little busy right now!" said Akihiro as he tried to fight the prototype that was heading towards the Yukon Base via the underground tunnel.

"Ensign Flynn! You have been given orders! Why are you recklessly defying them?!" asked Yui in an angry, yet worried tone.

"I'm trying to stop this thing from reaching the base! Look, I need to ask you to concentrate on ensuring the safety of the others! Please!-Guh!" said Akihiro as he took a shot from the prototype.

"...Please, don't die. Promise me you won't die!" said Yui over the radio.

"I promise. Now get going!" said Akihiro before the transmission was cut off.

The fight continues with Akihiro managing to slice off another rectifier and damaging it's head by shooting it.

All of a sudden, A mysterious force of TSFs arrive and attack the Yukon Base. Explosions left and right as they drop explosives onto the base. Yui manages to escort the other operators and mechanics out of the base as they all ran in fear for their lives.

Among that mysterious force was the leading white and red TSF. It landed on the main runway of the Yukon Base.

"Lt. Bridges. Do your duty and destroy this base. I have given you the RAY-9RZ for this reason. Don't fail me." said Ridley over the radio.

"Yes sir. Moving in to destroy the base." said Yuuya.

Wait, what?! Yuuya Bridges was piloting the leading TSF of the terrorist squad?! The one who stopped the Yukon Base incident two years ago?! How is that possible?! Not too long ago, Akihiro and himself were having a drink and a laugh as well as helping out in testing!

All of a sudden, shots are fired at the RAY-9RZ, which dodges and returns fire.

"You fucking traitor!" yelled Valerio over the radio.

"It's been a while, Valerio. Why don't we fight?" said Yuuya over the radio.

The two pilots engaged in combat. Both TSFs were firing shots at one another and taking damage from one another, but it's Valerio's machine that's coming off the worst for wear.

"Why, Yuuya?! Why?!" said Valerio over the radio.

"For this planet. For our home. It's nothing personal, Macaroni. It's just my job. Nothing more, nothing less. You need to wake up and see the bigger picture." said Yuuya over Valerio's radio.

Valerio's F-15 Active Eagle took more damage after coming under heavy fire from Yuuya's RAY-9RZ.

While the fight went on, The Raptor TSFs of Leon Kuze and Sharon Heim arrive to stop Yuuya's destruction and chaos.

"Yuuya! Why?!" said a tearful Sharon over the radio.

"You bastard! Why would you stab us in the back like this?!" said an enraged Leon over the radio.

Sharon and Leon home in on Yuuya's TSF and engage in combat. However, after a battle, The Raptor's outdated technology was no match for the RAY-9RZ and Leon was killed in combat.

"GUAAHH!-" yelled Leon before being killed in the Raptor's explosion.

It wasn't too long before Sharon suffered the same fate.

"AAAHHH!-" she screamed before dying in her Raptor's explosion.

"Give up, Valerio. There's no point in dragging this out any longer." said Yuuya over the radio.

"Screw that..I CAN STILL FIGHT!" said Valerio as he charged at Yuuya with guns ablazing.

"..It's time to end this." said Yuuya as he opened fire on Valerio's F-15 Active Eagle. The bullet's from Yuuya's weapon was tearing Valerio's machine to shreds. He couldn't hold out any longer, but he chooses to fight until the very end. He manages to cause minor damage to the RAY-9RZ's left leg.

However, Yuuya took one final shot and finished the job.

"...It's over, Macaroni. ..Sorry." said Yuuya as he fired one final shot at Valerio's cockpit.

Valerio was covered in blood, bruises and was worn down from the fight against Yuuya. He knew in his heart of hearts that it was all over. His fate was closing in on him and he knew it.

"..Monica...Sis...I guess I won't be coming home after all, huh?.." said Valerio with his last breath. His F-15 Eagle Active is finally destroyed and Valerio is killed in the explosion.

Fiona, who was fighting the enemy forces could only look on in horror as she knew whose TSF just exploded.

"VALERIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Fiona screamed out at the explosion.

All of a sudden, A yellow and purple TSF arrived on the scene to fight the RAY-9RZ. It was Yui Takamura's Takemikazuchu MKII.

"YUUUYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" said an enraged Yui before she slashed the RAY-9RZ, which manages to block her attack with it's own blade.

Akihiro manages to take down the prototype's final rectifier and destroy the main core. He came to a dreadful realization that it was going to explode, so he manages to dash in the Shiranui and take off to join the fight.

However, A black and red TSF arrives before Akihiro and challenges him to a duel.

"Akihiro! Isn't about time this world changed? It was becoming stagnant, after all." said Ridley over the radio. He's the black and red TSF's operator!

"Abbott! Are you the jerk responsible for this?!" Akihiro yelled angrily.

Ridley chuckled in a sinister way. He WAS responsible for authorizing the attacks.

"I am indeed responsible. Just like your comrades in the past, these pilots are expendable. They are nothing more than worthless scum." said Ridley in a condescending tone.

"KH! YOU BASTARD!" yelled Akihiro before charging at him in the Shiranui.

-To Be Continued-


	11. Chapter 9: A World Thrown Into Chaos

-Chapter 9: A World Thrown Into Chaos-

Meanwhile, the Idar flight has been dispatched to deal with the BETA that were reported to have been in the canyons. Cryska and Inia both co-piloted the Predator MR-4 and headed towards the canyons. The BETA start coming down fast as their sheer numbers cover the horizon.

"Let's go, Inia!" said Cryska.

"Mm!" Inia affirmed.

The twins went into their prafka state and started killing the oncoming BETA. However, their charge was halted by a Fort Class BETA that rose up from the ground below. It manages to kill a few pilots from the Idar flight before attempting to attack the Scarlet Twins, who use the chainsaw blade that was integrated into the Predator's arm, cut off the BETA's tentacle and stab it in the head before really cutting it down to size.

"Idar-1 to Idar Leader. The Fort class is down. I repeat, The Fort class is down." said Cryska.

"Nice work. Take down the rest of them" said Sandek over the radio.

However, the Predator was damaged by a laser shot fired by one of the BETA.

"Ngh!" exclaimed Cryska as the cockpit shook.

Inia screamed while the cockpit shook.

\

Akihiro was losing badly to Ridley, who deals some heavy damage with every slash from his TSF's custom blade. This proved to be an almost impossible task for Akihiro. So his only option was to retreat for the time being.

"Pulling out!" said Akihiro as he flew off in the Shiranui. However, Ridley pursued him while they partake in a chase towards the canyons.

\

Yui's Takemikazuchi MKII was losing the fight against Yuuya's RAY-9RZ, which displayed a tremendous amount of strength and firepower. The only way Yui could inflict damage upon the RAY was to use the Takemikazuchi's speed and damage the RAY.

"Why?! Why would you betray us like this, Yuuya?!" asked a rage-filled Yui.

"It's nothing personal, Yui. I'm just following orders. Just like you're still doing." said Yuuya, who proceeded to attack Yui.

Yui looked on in horror as Yuuya made his move. She had flashbacks about the times they spent together two years ago. She managed to block Yuuya's next attack and strike back, damaging the RAY-9RZ's left thruster.

"I'm not done yet!" yelled Yui as the fight continued.

\

Fiona Ackerfeldt and Stella Bremer fought off the enemy TSF squad that came in swarms towards the base. This proved to be a very difficult task due to the enemies' sheer numbers. Were these TSFs mass produced?

"Argos-2 to Argos-4, I can't hold them! They have us pinned!" said Fiona in the Izanami-R78, A lightweight speed-based TSF designed for close-range combat.

"I hate to say it, But I can't hold them either. This is proving to be pretty tough..." said Stella over the radio, who was understandably still recovering from the sight of Valerio's death, which makes it much harder for her to concentrate.

"...Who's behind all this?..Who would do something like this?.." asked Fiona in a sad, trembling voice.

Stella had no answer to that. Even she didn't know anyone who would just attack the base out of the blue in such a brutal and barbaric fashion.

\

Akihiro and Ridley reach the canyon where the BETA were from earlier and continue their duel. They clash blades several times and fire several shots at one another. Akihiro dodges Ridley's gunfire and returns fire once more. A bullet hits Ridley's TSF's left radiator.

"Hm!" exclaimed Ridley, who then shot Shiranui in the left arm.

"Gh!" exclaimed Akihiro as the Shiranui suffered damage on it's left arm due to the shot fired by Ridley's weapon.

All of a sudden, several gunshots were aimed at Ridley, who manages to dodge all of them.

"Ensign Flynn!" calls Cryska over the radio.

"Akihiro!" said Inia over the radio.

"Cryska! Inia! He's too strong!" called Akihiro.

"Hmhmhm...This will be interesting. Show me what you can do, Scarlet Twins!" said Ridley as his TSF charges in with it's custom blade.

The Predator and the Black TSF engage in combat with guns ablazing and blades clashing. Ridley proved to be more than a match for both of them due to his TSF's unpredictable nature and advanced piloting skills.

Cryska and Inia's Predator-MR4 was knocked back by the sheer power from Ridley's TSF. It proved to be overwhelming for the Scarlet Twins. After the short duel, Ridley reveals a big new weapon, which fired the same laser as a BETA laser class!

"What?! A laser?!" said Cryska as she and Inia manage to dodge the shots in the predator.

Not too long after, Akihiro joins in and fires at Ridley. However, he was unable to use his blade due to the extensive damage of the Shiranui's left arm.

"Cryska! Inia! Get back!" warned Akihiro over the radio.

Ridley chuckled as he prepared one of his weapons to fire a single shot at the Predator's cockpit. Ridley grinned as he fired the weapon at the cockpit.

"One down.." said Ridley as he laughed maniacally.

The bullet went through the cockpit and shot Inia right through the head! Cryska could only watch in horror as her closest partner is killed right in front of her.

"INIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" yelled Akihiro from the Shiranui and Cryska from the terminator, both at the exact same time. Ridley has cemented his place as the one who killed one of the Scarlet Twins.

Cryska was shaking and crying at the sight of Inia's lifeless body. She desperately tried to call out to her.

"Inia! Inia, wake up! INIA!" called out Cryska in desperation. But it was to no avail. All she could do was break down in tears. The pain of the sight of Inia's lifeless body was unbearable.

Fiona and Stella manage to arrive at the canyons to find the Black TSF had shot the Predator MR-4's cockpit. They charged at the black TSF and began to open fire on it. The Black TSF retaliated by flying upwards and firing shots at their TSF's legs and damaging them.

"Gh!" Fiona exclaimed as the Izanami hit the ground after it's legs were disabled.

"No!" Stella yelled as her F-15 Eagle Active hit the ground as it's legs were also disabled.

"Fiona! Stella! Kh..Ridley, YOU BASTARD!" shouted Akihiro before his Shiranui flew upwards and charged at Ridley in anger and also opened fire on him.

"...It's time to end this." said Ridley before he fired a powerful BETA lasers shot his new cannon, which hit Shiranui in it's chest area and disabled it for combat.

"GUUUUUUUUUAAAAAHHHHH!" said Akihiro as he and the Shiranui Phase 2 fell from the sky and crashed into the lake below. The damage to the Shiranui was very extensive and it was now unable to stand up on it's own, let alone fight.

"...Cobra-0 to all units. Pull out now. The chairman is next." said Ridley as he took off in the Black TSF and headed towards the ruins of the Yukon Base.

"Argos-1! Argos-1! Can you hear me?!" Fiona called out, but she recieved no response. "No! Argos-2 to White Fang-1! Argos-1 is down! Repeat, Argos-1 is down! We need support at the canyon!"

\

Yui got the message loud and clear. By the time Ridley was done, Yuuya and the rest of the terrorist sqad had already left. Yui had tears streaming down from her eyes and down her face. Her best possible pilot and the only hope for mankind has been shot down and is possibly now in a coma.

"Akihiro...you..you reckless idiot..Akihiro...Akihiro...Aki...hi...ro..." she continued to say before she breaks down and cries. The pain was too much to bear. Her former friend had betrayed her deeply and now her current pilot was gravely injured.

\

Ridley walked down the hallway and entered the boardroom, where chairman Masashi was frantically picking up some files. Ridley pointed his gun at him straight away. He had a cold look in his eyes and a murderous intent in his expression.

" ?! What is the meaning of this?!" asked Chairman Masashi in a panic.

"...You are a threat to this world's balance. You must be disposed of right here and now, Chairman Masashi." said Ridley as he cocks his gun.

"...If you're going to kill me, then hear me out first. ...Akihiro will rise again. And he and his comrades will take you down. Maybe not today...But soon, your comeuppance will come, Ridley Abbott. And you will be tried for your crimes against humanity." said Chairman Masashi.

After that was said, Ridley shot Masashi in the chest twice and shot him in the head once. The chairman dropped dead and was surrounded by a pool of blood. This event would mark the beginning of Ridley Abbott's global dictatorship and the start of the world war that he had planned since his time in ABNIA.

Abbott ousted the current President Of The United States into exile and took control of the White House and the US Congress, where his world domination would begin to take ahold. This would be the start of a world thrown into chaos.

\

One month later, the remaining survivors of the Yukon base tragedy took refuge and set up a base at the Atacama Desert, where they were kept under the radar from Ridley's growing, extensive surveillance over the world's population.

Idar Flight leader, Jerzy Sandek co-headed a project with TSF designer, Frank Heinemann to work on the best TSF with contributions from the world's best mechanics and the world's greatest engineers. This would be piloted by one person. And that person is currently recovering in a coma.

Akihiro Flynn lays in a coma from his accident the month before. Since then, Yui would regularly be at his side as he would show signs of recovery.

"..Akihiro..." said Yui as she had flashbacks.

"You have already proven to me that you are an exceptional pilot. ..I treated you, not with the respect that you so rightfully deserve, but with contempt...I wish...I wish I could take it all back...I wish...You could hear me tell you how sorry I am...For everything...For dragging you into this..." said Yui as she began to tear up while holding his hand.

"Please, Akihiro! Wake up! The flight needs you! ..I...I need you! Please!" Yui cries out in desperation while holding Akihiro's hand. After she calmed down a bit, she looked at him with tears pouring down her face.

\

Cryska was alone in her room, where she would lock herself away since Inia's death one month ago. She was completely depressed and felt no hope in her existence. The only reason she had to live was to take back the motherland and kill Ridley Abbott. Occassionally, she would also cry for Akihiro, hoping that he would wake up from his coma.

"...Inia...Akihiro..." Cryska tearfully said to herself.

-Next Chapter: Subchapter 2-


	12. Subchapter 2: Guatemala Attacks, 1996

-Subchapter 2: Guatemala Frontline, 1996-

-1996-

The wreckage of the Guatemala frontline was highly extensive due to the excessive number of hostile BETA in the area. Akihiro Flynn, who is now 21, leads an ABNIA squad of ten, which has been dispatched to support the Guatemala ABNIA branch, who are under fire of the BETA and the United States Government. Because of this and several other incidents, Akihiro developed a highly cynical view on the United States, their methods and their support of totalitarian dictatorships if it means that it will support their own convenient interests.

"Tch, America...They only do what's convenient for them.." said Akihiro in a cold tone.

"I'm sure they're not all like this, Captain Flynn..." said another pilot over the radio.

However, before Akihiro had time to think, his squad was coming under fire by a squad of American TSFs. These could be hardline supporters of the authoritarian dictatorship that presided over Guatemala at the time. However, before Akihiro could issue an order to attack, The American TSFs were suddenly shot down.

"It can't be!" said one pilot.

"That's a Russian Predator!" said another.

"A Predator?! How did Russia get involved in these attacks?!" Akihiro thought to himself.

All of a sudden, The Predator charged at and clashed blades with Akihiro's Guerilla-S, which is the TSF that he was given after his promotion due to his part in holding off the ABNIA raid earlier that year.

"Challenge us.." said two voices over Akihiro's radio.

"Back off! I don't have time to mess around with you right now!" said Akihiro before pushing off the Terminator with his blade.

"How can you be so cruel?...Very well..We'll use force to deal with you..We'll destroy you, along with your underfunded machine.." said the two voices as they giggled in a sinister way over the radio.

"Kh...Looks look I've got no choice." said Akihiro as he reluctantly gets ready for battle.

The Predator and the Guerilla charge at one another. They clash blades several times and fire shots and one another. The battle was as intense as it was fast-paced.

"Gh!" exclaimed Akihiro as the Guerilla clashed with the Predator once more.

"You're good...But it's not enough!" said the two voices over the radio as they striked once more.

However, Akihiro thought fast, parries their attack and counters by cutting off the Predator's blade arm. The Predator stumbled backwards, charged in and tried to shoot the Guerilla.

Akihiro manages to dodge most of the shots, with one of them hitting the left radiator. This slows Akihiro down, but not enough to put him out of the fight. He manages to return fire and damage the Predator's left leg.

"A logical move..." said the two voices.

"Idar Leader to Idar-1! Stop messing around and take down the BETA!" said a voice over the Predator's radio.

After that struggle was over, Akihiro and the ABNIA Squad managed to fend off the BETA attacks and reduce the number of BETA in the South American region of Guatemala. Akihiro's job was made harder due to his damaged left radiator, but it didn't stop him from taking down the BETA. The events of this mission were the fundamental catalysts of the change in Akihiro's life and paved the way to his fate of joining the United Nations, something he never thought he would ever do all those years ago.

(Narration by Hitomi Nabatame/Cryska)

"_Inia and I met him for the first time on that day. In retrospect, I think that's why I felt nostalgic when I saw him again...In fact, I think we were meant to meet again. When I saw him, I knew he was one of the keys to saving this world from the BETA. When I talked to him, I could feel a special connection. Maybe, the same connection I felt with __**him**__..."_

/

-2003-

Back in the medical wing, Akihiro was slowly starting to wake from his coma. Yui, who is at his side, gasped with relief and smiled that her main pilot was finally awake.

-To Be Continued(Chapter 10)-


	13. Chapter 10: Takamura's Retribution

-Chapter 10: Akihiro's Awakening/Takamura's Retribution-

Frank Heinemann, the former Razenack executive who helped to work on Ridley's black TSF he referred to as "Black Shell" helped to work on a new TSF, in which his ambition was to make it his best creation yet. He worked with Idar Flight leader, Jerzy Sandek in order to perfect it's fighting capabilities and it's overall superior nature to the XFJa Shiranui Phase 2.

This proved to be a very challenging project as a team of the best engineers and the best scientists in the world are helping to work on this machine. This one would be the TSF to surpass the rest. This would prove to be the last hope in order to take down Ridley Abbott's newborn empire and dictatorship.

"I plan to make this the best TSF possible. And I thank everyone for their co-operation in this ambitious project." Frank said to the team of engineers and scientists.

Fiona watched from a window as the new TSF was being built. She knew that deep down, this would be a machine like no other. She echoed the sentiment that the only one who could pilot this new machine would be Akihiro.

"I hope this will work..." Sandek thought to himself.

/

"Ngh...Where...Where am I?.." said Akihiro as he woke up from his month-long coma.

"You're awake, Flynn.." said Yui, relieved and with an endearing smile.

" ?...And will you stop callin' me by my last name? Call be my real name, Akihiro." asked Akihiro.

"Huh?! W-w-why are you saying this all of a sudden?!" exclaimed a flustered Yui, who was blushing like crazy.

"Huh? I heard you calling me that from time to time." said Akihiro.

"H-h-how did you?!.." asked a blushing, flustered Yui.

"How? You were screaming it at me. I bet half the base heard ya. ..Speakin' of Base, where are we? This doesn't look like the last base we were in." asked Akihiro.

Yui took a deep breath, regained her composure and spoke.

"The Yukon Base was beyond repair in Alaska, so we moved to the Atacama Desert." said Yui in her more professional tone.

"I guess that makes sense since it's under the radar. Ridley probably wouldn't think of a place like this, knowing him." said Akihiro before sitting up.

Yui gasps, blushes again and turns away after seeing Akihiro's muscular form.

"..How are the others?" asked Akihiro in a serious tone.

"They've been asking after you. It looks like that despite the fact that they've only known you for about a week, you've made quite an impact on their lives. ..And on mine too." Yui said while muttering the last sentence. She put her hand on her heart while smiling.

"What was that?" asked Akihiro.

"N-nothing!" said Yui as she quickly took her hand off her chest and became flustered again.

"I see...So I did make a difference.." Akihiro thought to himself.

/

A crowd of thousands waited outside the White House, Where Ridley Abbott will hold a press conference regarding the changes that he'll make to the United States congress and the people he will put in positions of power.

With each passing day, Abbott's influence over the people grew. He had many followers and many whos saw him as a tyrant. But those who would oppose him would end up being excecuted by his team of TSF pilots he refers to as the "Purge Squad".

"My people..For too long, we have suffered under the rule of the rich and the corrupt for far, far too long. This country's roots have been diseased from the very start by greed, corruption, disregard for it's own citizens. Many men, women and children have languished under the name of a false idol, a false god. And the appalling crimes that have been committed under the name of all the rich, corrupt and lying scum that infest the politics of today and infringe upon your liberties, day in and day out! I say...no more...For as of right now, I issue a warrant for the arrest of Japanese 2nd Lieutenant Yui Takamura, A head of a project that uses it's money to develop TSFs...While they take your hard-earned money. Is this what you want? Someone like this to exploit your money this way?" said Ridley as he rallies support.

The crowd begin to cheer as their great leader spoke. This country was turning from what was once a Representative Democracy into a Totalitarian One-Party Republican Dictatorship. In reality, Ridley didn't care about what the people wanted at all. All he wanted was to be in power in order to have the authority to access the funds required to complete his ultimate TSF.

/

"I don't believe this...He's manipulating the American people into believing that is somehow the villain.." said Stella, shocked and disgusted by the speech given by Ridley on the TV. Stella watched the TV with Fiona, whose horrified expression said it all. How could her own stepfather do something like this?..

"This is bullshit! He's up to something, I know it!" Akihiro yells angrily as he punches the wall in the medical wing.

"They're targeting me...I have to turn myself in, so the rest of you won't get killed by Ridley's squad." Yui said in a serious tone.

"Wait a second! You can't! Why would you even-?!" said Akihiro.

"If this is what I have to do, Then it's my duty, Ensign Flynn.." said Yui in a serious tone.

"Are you an idiot?! You would give up your life just like that?! There's no way in hell I'll allow you to do that!" yelled Akihiro.

Yui couldn't respond. Akihiro grew to care about her a lot. Not just as a superior, but also as a good friend. Yui also saw him in a similar light, but she was too afraid to admit it. Deep down, She didn't want Akihiro to ever put himself in danger, even if it means if she must be put in danger herself.

"...I have to, Akihiro...Please, promise me that you'll stay out of danger." said Yui.

"...I see your mind's made up.." said Akihiro.

/

The next day, Yui is escorted in a limousine towards Washington in order to turn herself in to Ridley to prevent him from finding the New Yukon Base's location. In the base, this proved to be tough on Akihiro. Though his team were relieved that he survived, their worries were amplified after they realized how much the Lieutenant meant to him. While that happened, they also had time to remember Valerio Gicaosa, who was killed during the Yukon Base's downfall.

" 's really upset.." said Fiona.

"..Just give him some time. The Lieutenant meant a lot to him...She meant a lot to all of us.." said Stella.

"And Valerio too...Whenever the team was down, he always made us laugh...I knew him for only a week...But that was long enough for him to leave an impact on me..." said Fiona while having flashbacks of her times with Valerio.

"...He was kind, brave and had a great sense of humor. That's how we'll remember Valerio..." said Stella.

Fiona looked over at Akihiro, who was depressed about Yui. Ridley has already taken so much from him, and now the next one is the person who got him back into piloting TSFs.

/

After reaching the White House, Yui was put on trial for her supposed "crimes against humanity". Everyone who knows her will instantly know that these are false charges and propaganda enforced by Ridley. Part of the propaganda campaign and her charge sheet said that she had been involved in a plot that would ensure the deaths of many americans by using the TSFs that her team created.

"This court is now in session." said Ridley with his supporters cheering him on.

/

"Insert the Prafka drive." ordered Sandek. The engineers manage to fit the new Prafka drive into the new TSFs core. The new TSF greatly resembles the Shiranui, but has 90% new parts and is a huge upgrade from it's predecessor. At that moment, An Idar Flight member came in to inform Sandek about Akihiro.

"Sandek, Lt. Flynn has finally awakened from his comatose state." said the Idar flight member. At the same time, development and construction was completed.

"At last, just in time...I reveal this new Tactical Surface Fighter." said Frank.

"Mankind's last hope: The CX4a Shiranui Phase 3." said Sandek.

Akihiro walked in and saw the newly developed TSF. He looked at it in awe.

"Sandek?" asked an awestruck Akihiro.

" . This is the machine that you are destined to pilot. This is mankind's last hope: The CX4a Shiranui Phase 3. The most powerful TSF ever built to date." said Sandek.

"And with enough time to save Lt. Takamura, You could consider that it's first official test run!" said Frank with a smile.

Akihiro nodded and accepted the responsibility.

"I'm coming to save you, Yui.." he thought to himself.

-To Be Continued-


	14. Chapter 11: Rescuing Yui

-Chapter 11: Rescuing Yui-

The three remaining Argos Flight members set out in their given TSFs. Akihiro piloted the newly-developed Shiranui Phase 3 while Fiona and Stella flew in the Izanami R-78 and F-15 Strike Eagle respectively. They were already flying over Colorado and were approaching Kansas.

"The handling is amazing..." Akihiro thought to himself.

All of a sudden, a bleep was heard from his control panel.

"Enemy fighters, 12 'o clock!" said Fiona over the radio.

A squad of ten Enemy TSFs arrive, ready to attack the Argos Flight. They opened fire on the Argos Flight, with the Shiranui Phase 3 dodging at a lightning rate. It shoots down three enemy TSFs at once and slices through two of them. The Izanami R-78 and F-15 take down the remaining enemies.

"Incredible!" Fiona said over the radio.

"The Shiranui Phase 3...Amazing.." Stella said over the radio.

However, more enemy TSFs arrive in even greater numbers, ready to attack the Argos Flight. They prepare their guns and open fire on them. The Shiranui Phase 3 dodges every shot at a lightning-fast rate. All of a sudden, Sandek speaks to Akihiro over the radio.

" . The Phase 3 is fitted with a Prafka drive. This allows you to harmonize yourself with your true combat capabilities and enhance the abilities of the Phase 3. However, The use of the system has a time limit. Think of it as a double-edged sword." said Sandek over the radio.

"Got it.." said Akihiro as he activate's the Phase 3's Prafka drive system.

Once the system activated, The Phase 3 glows a bright blue and speedblitzes and takes down the enemy TSFs at an alarmingly fast rate. It shoots down over twenty enemies and slices through five of them at the same time.

Fiona and Stella look on in awe at what is unfolding right in front of them. The Phase 3 was moving and taking down enemies at such an incredible rate. How is this physically possible for one machine to accomplish?!

"What the?!" said Fiona in awe.

Stella could only look on as this unfolded in front of the both of them.

After every enemy was taken down, Akihiro deactivated the system and floated in the sky.

"Let's go!" he said as he flew ahead with Stella and Fiona following. They take down many enemy TSFs that come their way and continue to make their way towards Washington.

/

Yui's trial was interrupted due to the commotion in Colorado. Ridley was frustrated at this interruption, so he ordered a certain someone to take care of it.

"Bridges. We have friends who have just arrived now in Ohio. Take care of them immediately." said Ridley over a speaker.

Yui quickly realized what was going on: the Argos Flight was coming to rescue her! Yui put her hand on her heart and gave a small smile as she knew that Akihiro was coming to save her. Perhaps in the same way that a knight would rescue a princess.

"..I'll forgive you this time..If you save me.." she thought to herself.

/

As the Argos Flight approached Pennsylvania, They were confronted by Yuuya Bridges' TSF, the RAY-9RZ. This was the same TSF that killed Valerio a month ago. Fiona felt enraged at the sight of seeing the heavily armed white and red TSF.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU KILLED VALERIO!" said Fiona as she proceeded to fire at Yuuya, who would dodge her every shot. The RAY-9RZ charges and almost damages Fiona's Izanami R-78. However, Akihiro's Phase 3 clashes with the RAY-9RZ.

They clash several times in the sky and fire several shots at one another. Akihiro deflects the shots fired at him and clashes blades with Yuuya

"How could you work for Ridley?!" Akihiro angrily asks as the Phase 3 pushes the RAY-9RZ off and viciously slices the RAY-9RZ's right leg off.

"Why do you still fight, huh?! What do you have to protect?!" yelled Yuuya.

"It's obvious! To protect this world FROM THE BETA AND SECURE THE FUTURE!" yelled Akihiro as he charges at Yuuya's RAY-9RZ in the Phase 3 before clashing once more. The Phase 3's strength allows Akihiro to shatter the RAY-9RZ's blade.

"NGH! ..Next time, you won't be so lucky! I'll kill you for sure!" yelled Yuuya as he retreated in his TSF.

"Why...why would Yuuya..." said Stella in a sorrowful tone.

"Ridley probably got to him. That's how he managed to rally support for his dictatorial campaign. By lying." said Akihiro.

"I see...So he's just a puppet..But still! He killed Valerio!" Fiona shouted over the radio.

"I know. But for now, we need to focus on rescuing ." said Akihiro.

"He's right. We need to get moving before more enemy reinforcements arrive." said Stella over the radio. After that exchange was finished, they set off once again and headed towards Washington.

/

Cryska walked down the base's hallway and bumps into Sandek, who was looking for her to have a dicussion about Inia.

"...Ensign Barchenowa." said Sandek.

"Sir." said Cryska as she saluted.

"I know how much Ensign Sestina meant to you. But, she would have wanted you to continue fighting. No matter what." said Sandek.

"But...I can't.." said Cryska.

"Inia believed in you as I have done. Though I didn't treat you in the best of ways at times, I care very much about you. Not just as a soldier, but as a person. This is why I'm telling you this, Ensign Barchenowa. Your comrades need you. Lt. Flynn needs you. He's already out there trying to save Lt. Takamura." said Sandek.

Cryska's eyes widened as she heard Akihiro's name. She didn't know that he has recovered from his coma.

"...I understand...I'll head out if you need me to.." said Cryska after taking a deep breath.

"Watch over me, Inia.." she thought to herself.

/

Akihiro and the Argos Flight have managed to reach the US Supreme Court. Their TSFs land in front of the landmark building and point their guns at the Supreme Court's building. As they did, A squad of enemy TSFs arrived to defend it. Inside the building, Ridley knew who was in the Phase 3 and bursts out laughing.

"You never fail to amaze me, Akihiro! Are you looking for your beloved Lt. Takamura?" Ridley asked with his spine-chilling grin.

All of a sudden, The enemy TSFs were destroyed by a series of shots from the sky. It was an unknown TSF from above. It had a similar paint scheme to the Predator. However, this version looked like it was built for one pilot. Akihiro recongnized who it was right away.

"Cryska!" Akihiro called out as he opened a network to Cryska.

"Flynn.." Cryska said over the radio, sounding relieved.

Ridley's expression switched to one of annoyance due to the arrival of Cryska and storms off towards a flight of stairs behind the White House that lead to his hangar.

Meanwhile, Yui sneaks out the back entrance and manages to run towards the Phase 3 and the rest of the Argos flight. Akihiro ejects himself from the cockpit and lowers himself down from the Phase 3.

"Yui! Are you alright?!" Akihiro said after he ran towards her.

"...I could punish you for this, Ensign Flynn. ..But...Thank you." said Yui as she smiled.

"I wasn't gonna let my pal be killed by a crazed, homicidal madman.." said Akihiro with a serious expression.

"Ridley Abbott...I swear, I will kill you for taking Inia from me.." Cryska thought to herself as she clenched the control bars in her Predator.

"We have to go before he arrives. He's too powerful to fight right now." said Yui.

"I just want him dead after everything he's done..He killed My pals, Inia, the chairman..." said Akihiro as he clenched his fists.

"..I know. But the Phase 3's technology must be further developed before you can even think about taking him on." said Yui.

Akihiro nodded in agreement and took Yui onboard the Phase 3. He buckles her into the safety seat provided in the craft and gets ready to move with Cryska and the rest of the Argos Flight.

However, Ridley arrives in his Black Shell TSF and proceeds to attack Akihiro and the Argos Flight. But before he could carry out the attack, he was interrupted by an unknown TSF in the sky. It had a light green paintjob and looks as if it was designed for speed-based combat.

"Gotcha now ya son of a bitch!" said an unknown Irish male voice.

Ridley's Black Shell dodges every shot and attempts to shoot down the unknown TSF, which keeps dodging every shot at a lightning fast rate.

The unknown pilot manages to open a private radio link with Akihiro.

"Hey, Aki! Long time, no see!" said the Irish male voice.

"Well, I'll be damned! Joshua O'Brien!" said Akihiro in an excited tone.

Joshua O'Brien is a former ABNIA pilot from Ireland and Akihiro's best friend during those years. They would often talk to each other about the missions they went on together and they would get things done as a duo at an incredible rate.

"Akihiro?! He's a friend of yours?!" asked a surprised Yui.

"Not just a friend. A brother in arms and the greatest pal a guy could have!" said Akihiro with a smile.

"Let's get outta here before he gets mad!" said Joshua over the radio.

After that short exchange, Akihiro, Joshua, Cryska and The Argos flight flew in their TSFs and headed back to Atacama back to the New Yukon Base. The team of engineers and mechanics greet the team with a thunderous applause as they have managed to return with Yui.

Akihiro got out of the Phase 3 with Yui, which was greeted by one mechanic whistling at them. Yui got flustered and blushed when the mechanic did that as she thought that he assumed that She and Akihiro were a couple, which Yui did seem to like the thought of.

After seeing this, A strange feeling welled up in Cryska's chest. She put her hand on her heart, smiled and blushed a little. Was she starting to develop feelings for Akihiro in the same way she developed feelings for Yuuya Bridges two years earlier?

"Akihiro Flynn...You truly are amazing.." Cryska thought to herself.

-To be continued-


	15. Chapter 12: New Recruit

-Chapter 12: New Recruit-

Three days after rescuing Yui Takamura from execution due to false crimes, the Argos Flight welcomes it's newest recruit, Joshua O'Brien. The former Irish ABNIA pilot who intervened and stopped Ridley Abbott from wounding and possibly killing the others in his aged TSF. He would be replacing the deceased Valerio Giacosa as "Argos-3".

While this was welcomed by many of the crew, this would prove to be a tough time for some. Including Fiona, who was still coping with Valerio's death. And without Inia here, this was a also tough time for the grieving Idar flight. It is especially a tough time for the now-sole Idar 1 unit, Cryska Barchenowa.

Everyone in the Argos Flughts was seated in the Argos briefing room in order to welcome Joshua into the Argos Flight and the New Yukon Base. This would also be something that could make light of an extremely dark situation. Lt. Dahl walks in and is now ready to speak.

"In light of this dark situation, we would like to welcome a new recruit. Joshua O'Brien of Ireland. Like Ensign Flynn, Ensign O'Brien was also in the Anti-Beta Nations Imperial Army during the BETA attacks in South Africa back in 1997." said Lt. Dahl.

"'Sup, guys?" said Joshua in his lighthearted tone with a smile.

Stella was already intrigued by Joshua, as he already stood out to her with his eccentric, free-spirited personality. Akihiro smiled, knowing that his best friend from ABNIA has joined the Argos Flight.

"Joshua, you'll be a perfect addition to the team." Akihiro thought to himself.

Fiona, however, looked less than pleased. She feels that on one hand, while Joshua could indeed be a great addition to the team, on the other hand, it's too soon to try and replace Valerio as Argos 3 given the short amount of time that has passed since his death. However, all she could do was put it to one side and remember her duty as an Eishi.

"Remember, this is not just a test flight anymore. We are in dark, desperate times. We are living under the dictatorship of Ridley Abbott. So try your best and get along with each other as much as you can. You may regret it deeply if you don't. A welcome party for Ensign O'Brien will be held in the downstairs hot spring tonight. That's all. You're all dismissed." said Lt. Dahl.

/

In Ridley's private hangar and research facility, A new Black TSF is currently being constructed by a team of Razenack Corporation engineers. It is linked to several machines with several types of captured BETA being linked to a program and having their blood extracted. It looks as if it is being used to power the TSF in question.

"Perfect...Soon, we'll be heading into the crossfire..And then this war will really take off. And I will grant this world exactly what it needs..." said Ridley as he looked at the TSF under construction. He looked on with his spine-chilling grin.

"Abbott!" said an angry Yuuya as he came into the hangar.

"Lt. Bridges? What do you need?" asked Ridley.

"That wasn't part of the deal! People are dying because of your rule!" said Yuuya in an angry tone.

"Is the future of this world not worth a few lives? I gave you a job and I did not toss you aside like the UN would have eventually done." said Ridley.

"People have to die to secure our future?! Then it's a future I don't want any part of!" yelled Yuuya.

"Listen, Bridges! If you do not do as I say, then the people you care about will die. I will make sure of it. Do I make myself clear?" asked Ridley in a cold, condescending tone.

"...Fine.." said Yuuya as he left the hangar.

"...In order to stop anyone from getting in my way, I have a little "friend" to take care of them. ..Right, Christopher?" said Ridley as he laughed and looked up at a remade Terminator Su-47B TSF with many enhancements made to the design and the system of the machine.

/

That evening in the New Yukon Base, A party was held to welcome Joshua in the downstairs hotspring. Many of the crew would have a drink and a laugh. They were getting to know each other a lot better than they did before. It was a time for everyone to be together, even in the darkest of times.

Akihiro looked around for Cryska, but she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she's still trying to come to terms with Inia's demise. Seeing how close the two were not just as friends, but also like sisters, he could understand why she would be having a tough time dealing with such a tragic situation.

"She must still be trying to cope with Inia's death...Not too long ago, I could understand how she felt...Maybe...I'm the same. We just do what we can to succeed. In the beginning, that was all it was for me... To succeed and to become a better pilot than my father. But meeting some of the most incredible people...Back then...And even now..." Akihiro thought as he had flashbacks from when he was a teenage recruit for ABNIA to a pilot of the CX4 Project.

"Hey, Aki!" called Joshua while he held a drink in his hand.

"Joshua?" said Akihiro as he walked over.

"This place has a lotta good lookin' girls!" said Joshua.

"..Is that all you can focus on?" asked Akihiro.

"Ah, come on mate! Lighten up! I think you need a lady in your life." said Joshua.

"Huh?" wondered Akihiro.

At that moment, Yui was standing around, possibly listening in on their conversation. Especially about Joshua's suggestion for Akihiro to have a woman in his life. He did point out that Akihiro was the type who never went out on dates very much. He was popular with the women, but he never really paid any attention to them due to his devotion to becoming a better pilot.

"Lt. Flynn." said Yui as walked over.

"Lt. Takamura?" said Akihiro as he watched her.

"Though it is currently a time of celebration, remember to stay vigilant. You as well, Ensign O'Brien." said Yui in her professional tone.

"Gotcha, 'mam!" said Joshua as he salutes.

"Right." said Akihiro as he nods and salutes.

"A-and...I was wondering..W-w-when this war is over...I w-was wondering if..." Yui said in a soft, shy tone as she blushed while trying to ask Akihiro something.

"What is it, Lt. Takamura?" asked Akihiro.

"N-never mind!" said a flustered Yui as she walked off in a huff.

"...What was that all about?" asked Akihiro.

"Ohohoho! I think she likes ya! Did you see her acting all shy around ya?" asked Joshua as he put his arm around Akihiro in a "bro" kinda way.

"What are you talking about?!" asked Akihiro.

"Why don't you bring up your past around her? Pretty sure you trust her enough. I remember you never used to trust anyone at first." Joshua pointed out.

"..Hey, you remember the first mission we went on?" asked Joshua.

"Panama, 1993? What about it?" asked Akihiro.

"You charged at those BETA like a Kamikaze pilot. Seriously, there was no stoppin' ya! I tried to ask the chief if I could go after ya, but he kept sayin' no." said Joshua.

"I see...I was reckless back then.." said Akihiro.

"And you still are, mate. I know ya too well." said Joshua with a smile.

/

Akihiro decided to go outside to clear his head. While he was walking, he found Yui standing at the main runway. The wind was blowing in her hair and her violet eyes sparkled from the moonlight above. Up until this point, Akihiro never realized how beautiful Yui was. Akihiro felt a rather strange sensation in his stomach and walks towards the Japanese Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant?" asked Akihiro.

Yui turned around quickly and blushed.

"Oh! Ensign F-Flynn!" said a flustered Yui.

"There's something I wanna ask you." asked Akihiro.

"Really? What is it?" asked Yui as she blushes.

"..You wanna get a drink sometime? I wanna talk to you about something important" asked Akihiro while he scratched the back of his head.

Yui's expression lit up and smiled when he asked her that.

"Of course." said Yui with a smile.

"Heh. Great." said Akihiro while smiling.

After that conversation, there was a silence. All of a sudden, they could feel themselves becoming closer. As if...their lips were about to touch.

"Yo!" called out an Irish male voice.

Akihiro and Yui quickly pulled away from each other. The voice turned out to be Joshua. He was looking for Akihiro since he told Joshua that he was "going out for some fresh air".

"What you guys doin' out here, eh?" asked Joshua as he walked over to Akihiro and Yui.

/

Meanwhile, Cryska Barchenowa was in her room. She was sleeping and having a dream about Akihiro. He seems to greatly remind her of Yuuya Bridges, whom she fell in love with two years earlier. Akihiro has had a profound effect on her life despite the fairly short time that she has known him. There was no doubt that even Akihiro has those memories of her and Inia fresh in his mind.

A vase of flowers were at her bedside as the moonlight shines through the window while she sleeps. These, for sure, would be a sign...

-To Be Continued-


	16. Chapter 13: Streams Of Sorrow

-Chapter 13: Streams Of Sorrow-

In the bar built within the base, The Argos Flight are having a drink together for the first time since the Yukon Base's downfall one month ago. This was a bittersweet time as they would reflect upon the events that have happened in such a short space of time of time. The base was destroyed, many comrades were killed in the attacks and Ridley Abbott became global dictator.

However, The Argos Flight remained optimistic as they were confident that they would win this war and do their best to restore the world. This, they were sure about.

"Ridley's fucked over the International governments and rigged the rules in his favor. To oppose him the way we are now would be suicide." said Stella.

"I know. That's why we have to work as hard as ever to make our TSFs strong enough to defeat his growing army. There's only about 140,000 of us. That's not gonna be enough to take him down." said Akihiro.

"Hey, I know this is unrelated, But this snow-haired chick was lookin' around for ya, Aki. She somehow knew I was a friend of yours. I told her that next time I saw you, I'd let ya know." said Joshua.

"She's looking for me?" asked Akihiro.

"Yeah. She said somethin' about "something important" she wanted to talk about with ya." said Joshua.

"...Guys, I need to talk to you all about something important.." said Fiona in a guilty tone.

"What is it, Fiona?" asked Akihiro.

"What is it?" asked Stella.

"What is it, love?" asked Joshua.

"...Ridley Abbott is my stepfather.." said Fiona.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATT?!" said a shocked Stella and Joshua.

"...Tell me more." said Akihiro.

"...When I was little, my dad left in order to go on a mission with ABNIA. He said he would return in six months. ..Six months pass by, and he never returned. My mom came in with Ridley and told me that dad was dead from the mission...And that she and Ridley were getting married. At that moment, I broke on the inside and I ran out the front door in tears. It was like my mom didn't care that dad had died...I wanted answers...I wanted to know why my father died...I realized that he died on Akihiro's final mission...I found out about that...But when I got home a year later, my mom was murdered...And I know who did it..." said Fiona.

"Damn..." said Joshua in a sorrowful tone.

"Ackerfeldt..." said Stella in a sorrowful tone.

"...Edward Ackerfeldt..." said Akihiro as he remembered one of his comrades.

"That's right.." said Fiona in a sad tone.

"...He was good to me.." said Akihiro.

/

After the drink, Akihiro decided to go ahead and look for Cryska. He had a think while he was walking on the runway. He had a very good idea about what she wanted to talk about: Inia. Especially given the fact that she was so fond of Akihiro like she was with Yuuya Bridges.

"Flynn.." said Cryska as she walked over to him.

"Cryska. ..Josh said you wanted to talk to me. What's this about." said Akihiro.

"...Why did you try to help us during that time?" asked Cryska.

"...Isn't that what comrades do? Help each other?" said Akihiro.

"But we tried to kill you before...And..." said Cryska, still emotional and coping with the pain of losing Inia.

"Cryska..." said Akihiro in a sorrowful tone.

"..Inia may have died, But those memories of her will live on inside you. I know it sounds cliche, but...even with one of you gone, The Idar Flight has to carry on. ..To quote a friend of mine: .."A duty of a survivor is to do no less.". " said Akihiro.

Cryska teared up and looked at Akihiro.

"But!.. Inia was the closest person I had to a sister! Why did it have to be her?! Why?! Why wasn't it me?!" screamed an emotional and tearful Cryska before Akihiro put his hands on her shoulders.

"Cryska, don't say that...It's normal to cry for a loved one. I lost my comrades too six years ago, as you already know. But...When our comrades die, we have to be the ones to carry on their will. For someone as strong as you to build up the strength to come to us when we had to save Lt. Takamura...And what you showed me in battle...You're one of the strongest people I could call a comrade...I'm sure Inia was thinking the same thing." said Akihiro as he smiled with a hint of sorrow in his expression.

Cryska looked up at Akihiro after hearing him say that. Those words hit home with her. Akihiro had suffered so much as well. Having gone through so much pain after losing Inia, He was also upset after hearing about Inia's death.

"..Th-...Thank you..." said Cryska with a tearful smile.

Akihiro also smiled back.

While the conversation went on, Stella Bremer overheard it and smiled at what Akihiro said about remembering comrades when they have fallen. She could relate to this seeing as how she lost a good friend almost two months ago.

\

The next day, After returning from training exercises, The Argos Flight emerged from their TSFs. However, Akihiro stood by the rail and had a think about an incident that happened back in 1996.

"...You are with me...Right, guys?" Akihiro thought to himself as he had several flashbacks of his ABNIA days and his days in The Argos Flight and the several comrades that he has lost.

"Is something on your mind, Akihiro?" asked Stella, who walked up to him.

"Oh, Stella. It's nothing.." said Akihiro.

"Oh? I can tell it's definitely something..Do you want to talk about it?" asked Stella.

"Just like how Yuuya was. Always hiding what's bothering him.." she thought to herself.

"...It's just...Everyone here...We've all lost something precious to us...Like me, with my family, my comrades...My homeland...And with Joshua...He lost his homeland because of the endless war in Ireland at the time...You know?.." said Akihiro in a sorrowful way.

"I understand...But...They're still with us in some way...In our memories...In our hearts. All we can do is remember them. Just like you said. ..I heard you say that last night while I was looking for you." said Stella as she put her hand on Akihiro's shoulder.

"Heh...You always know what to say, Stella.." said Akihiro.

"I'm glad.." said Stella as she smiled.

"Hey, buddy! The ladies are all over ya!" said Joshua as he walked over.

"Joshua?! T-this isn't what it looks like!" said a flustered Akihiro.

Stella giggled after he said that.

"W-what are you gigglin' about?! Come on!" said Akihiro, now incredibly flustered as Joshua and Stella both laughed.

"I guess...this is what it means to have friends.." Akihiro thought to himself as he smiled.

-Next Chapter: Subchapter-


	17. Subchapter 3: ABNIA Raid, 1996

-Subchapter 3: ABNIA raid, 1996-

One winter night during December of 1996, A swarm of terrorist TSF pilots attack the ABNIA Base in North Carolina, USA in order to take down the military company's main base of operations. Various pilots came and it proved to be tough for the beginner ABNIA forces as many of the base's facilities were destroyed, left and right.

However, A group of the expert pilots including Lieutenants Akihiro Flynn, Joshua O'Brien, Mikasa Nakashima Warren Roberts fought back and destroyed many of the enemy TSFS. They charged in formation and begun their attack.

"The ball's in your court, buddy!" shouted Joshua to Akihiro from a Guerilla-S.

"Goin' in for the kill!" yelled Akihiro as he charged at the enemy TSFs.

He managed to shoot and strike down many of them with his exceptional piloting skills. A lot of the enemy pilots turned back and fleed, but the obstinate ones remained and opted to fight against ABNIA's finest.

"Nakashima!" yelled Warren, ordering her to fire the sniper shots.

Several shots hit the heads of the enemy TSFs and the machines exploded on impact. These were explosive rounds especially designed for the Guerilla. These weapons prove to be effective, especially when they are in the right hands

"3 down! 19 to go!" said Nakashima over the radio.

"O'Brien!" yelled Warren, ordering him to fight off the TSFs that were approaching the main base.

"Roger that!" said Joshua as he charged in, grabbed one of the TSFs and shot it in the head area. He proceeded to shoot down several more as the rest of them manage to reach the main base.

"Flynn!" yelled Warren.

Akihiro charged immediately at the main base and proceeded to take down the enemy TSFs. However, several more of their forces arrived and outnumber Akihiro.

"Gotcha now, you bastard!" said an enemy pilot.

"Damn it, no! I'm outnumbered!" yelled Akihiro as he looked around at the heavy number of enemy TSFs.

All of a sudden, several of them were shot down, courtesy of Lieutenants Warren O'Brien. At that moment, the TSFs exploded and the battle raged on.

"Thought you could use some help!" said Joshua over the radio.

"Nakashima! Report to General Abbott!" said Warren over Mikasa's radio.

"Understood!" said Mikasa as she retreated in her Guerilla TSF towards the main base.

"Now, let's kick their asses!" said Joshua over the radio.

"Right!" said Akihiro.

And with that, They fought against the enemy TSFs, who were no match for ABNIA's elite pilots due to their exceptional piloting skills and combined efforts of Liutenants Flynn, O'Brien, Nakashima and General Warren.

However, tragedy struck the four as Lieutenant Warren was shot down by the terrorist leader. Akihiro and Joshua looked on in horror at the sight of the Lieutenant being shot down before the TSF exploded.

"LIEUTENANT!" screamed out Akihiro and Joshua.

Enraged by what had just happened to Lieutenant Warren, Akihiro screamed out in rage and charged at the terrorist leader, who fired at Akihiro, who managed to dodge every shot that was fired at him. Joshua joined in the charge and headed towards the terrorist leader.

Akihiro's Guerilla equipped it's machine guns and opened fire on the enemy. While the enemy managed to dodge every shot, his TSF had an arm severly damaged by several of the shots that were fired.

"Damn you!" said the terrorist leader.

Joshua charged in and damaged the enemy leader's TSF's left leg by firing several shots from his Guerilla's machine guns. He dashed to the side to clear the way for Akihiro's charge towards the leader.

"HUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Akihiro yelled out as he proceeded to strike down the enemy with a blade equipped to the Guerilla. The enemy leader was taken down and his TSF exploded.

Akihiro panted with rage and sadness as he broke down and cried.

"_That day...Was when I first felt the pain of losing someone I cared about...I hoped that I would never have to go through that again. ..But..You can't always get what you want. ..I know now...that...that's war is about...Sometimes, you win some and you lose some. That's just the way it goes. Warren would have thought that too..."_

/

Back in the present day, A message came through from Ridley Abbott and the Razenack Corporation.

"Greetings, residents of the Yukon Base. I am sending you this message as a decleration of war. You have underestimated a power that you cannot hope to defeat. My army and I will hunt you down and destroy every last one of you. In due time, I will introduce to you all, the instrument of your suffering. The ultimate union of man and machine beyond anything that weakling Frank Heinemann ever envisioned! Prepare yourselves for Armageddon!" said Ridley on the hangar's main screen.

After the message, the monitor went off. The crew and mechanics within the hangar panicked after hearing this message. However, The Argos Flight, Yui Takamura and Cryska Barchenowa remained calm and looked up at the screen.

"...If war is what you want, Ridley...Then war is what you'll get." Akihro thought to himself.

The last shot focuses on Akihiro, Yui, Cryska, Stella, Fiona and Joshua looking up at the blank screen with determination.

-To Be Continued-


	18. Chapter 14: Heading Into The Crossfire

-Chapter 14: Heading Into The Crossfire-

-November 2, 2004-

After about ten months of testing, development, training and preperation, The New Yukon Base is ready to make their move against Ridley Abbott and Razenack, who declared war upon the world back in January. All the flights were strong, determined and ready to take back what was rightfully theirs from Abbott. And if that wasn't enough, they will also be going up against the BETA.

Around 350,000 TSFs were lined up at the main runway, ready to launch. The Eishis were currently outside of them, talking about the times that happened leading up to the moment of the fightback against Ridley Abbott, The Razenack Corporation and the BETA. The allies included The New Yukon Base Flights, The Japanese Royal Guard and half of The Soviet Army.

"Well, this is it buddy. The moment we've been waitin' for. This time, we'll kill Ridley and avenge our comrades that he killed all those years ago." said Joshua, who was standing with Akihiro.

Akihiro nodded and looked up at the Shiranui Phase 3.

"..Count on it, Josh. Count on it." said Akihiro.

"Akihiro Flynn." said Cryska as she walked over.

"Huh? Cryska?" Akihiro wondered as he watched her approach him.

"...It's going to be a tough battle. Possibly the toughest I-no, we've ever faced. ..But..I'm going into this battle to keep Inia's memory alive. I know for sure, that's what she would have wanted. And I want this too. ..To protect the motherland. ..And to protect your world.." said Cryska.

"Cryska..." said Akihiro, who was touched by her words.

"Akihiro!" said Yui as she walked over.

"Yui? Is everyone ready to head into battle?" asked Akihiro.

"Yeah, about that..." said Yui.

She was having trouble rallying the Eishi, who began to fight amongst each other to get into battle, so she asked Akihiro if he could encourage them. Akihiro nodded, stepped up onto a rock in the ground and began to speak.

"Everyone! ..It doesn't matter what nation we're from. We're not here to fly anyone else's flags in this country. We're here to unite for a common cause. To stop the murderous dictator and tyrant, Ridley Abbott, his army from the Razenack Corporation and the BETA, who have taken so much from us over the years! ..Though a lot of us will die in this war..Your sacrifices and the sacrifices of those who came before us will never be in vain! It's time to take back what's rightfully ours! From the liars, from the corrupt! Who's with me?!" said Akihiro as he gave a passionate speech to rally the Eishis together to fight against the Razenak/US forces.

The Eishis cheer on Akihiro and all of them climbed into their TSFs and prepared to launch. This was a crucial moment in history. Victory would mean that democracy will be restored to the US and to the world. Failure would mean that Ridley Abbott would increase his power and influence before destroying the world and rebuilding it in his own image.

Akihiro jumped into The Shiranui Phase 3's cockpit and prepared for take-off.

"Good job, Argos 1." said Yui over the radio while she was smiling.

"Anytime." said Akihiro as he smiled.

"We're right behind ya, Aki." said Joshua in the second Shiranui Phase 3 over the radio.

"I'm with you until the end, Akihiro." said Stella over the radio, who also smiled.

"Me too. And that's a promise. Count on it." said Fiona over the radio.

Akihiro felt encouraged and started to lead the allied forces from the runway and into the battlefield.

"If you all wanna survive, leave yourselves to my command!" said Akihiro to all Eishi units

over an open channel.

The TSFs took off and were now airborne. 350,000 against an army of over 2 billion would be a huge challenge, But Akihiro was confident that despite their sheer numbers, a huge majority of the pilots in the Razenack/US forces were largely inexperienced and were volunteers withh no prior military training.

"Razenack's main headquarters is in Colorado, Just under 5000 miles North! An underground fortress is below the facility! When we reach Colorado, All units will go ahead and proceed in squads! Destroy any of the forces that come your way, head into the headquarters and wait by the entrance to the fortress!" said Akihiro over all the TSF radios.

"Roger!" said all of them at once and in different languages.

Yui's Takemikazuchi MkII flew up beside Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3.

"Argos-1, enemy units at 12 O'clock! 200,000 of them!" said Yui over the radio.

"Only we can help the others. Help us lead as many of them into the Fortress in Colorado, as many as possible." said Akihiro.

"Ok. ..Please don't die." said Yui over the radio.

"I won't. I promise." said Akihiro.

"I'm not gonna let anymore of my comrades die..." he thought to himself.

"Akihiro." said Cryska over the radio.

"What is it, Idar-1?" asked Akihiro.

"Permission to engage the enemy units?" asked Cryska.

"Permission granted. Take 'em down. Argos Flight, follow Idar-1's example. We're goin' in!" said Akihiro as he dashed towards the enemies in the Shiranui Phase 3 with Cryska's Predator MR-S.

\

Yuuya hits the ground after he was beaten by Ridley. He had several bruises and cuts on his face and he was writhing on the ground. He struggled to get up, but Ridley stomped on his head.

"Such a waste, Yuuya Bridges.." said Ridley as he beats up Yuuya.

"Ngh..." Yuuya grunted as he tried to stand up.

"Follow your orders. Or America will die with you. Your choice." said Ridley in a condescending tone.

"Gh..." Yuuya grunted as he stood up slowly.

One of Ridley's soldiers came in to warn him about the Yukon-Royal Guard-Soviet Alliance, who was heading towards the Razenack HQ. Ridley gave a spine-chilling grin and began to speak.

"Give them a warm welcome. And don't forget to introduce them to an "old friend"." said Ridley. Who could this "old friend" be?...

\

With Cryska's Predator MR-S, Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3 dashed at, slashed through and shot down several enemy TSFs. Yui's Takemikazuchi MKII managed to also slash through and shoot down several TSFs.

"White Fang-1!" said Joshua over Yui's radio.

"What is it, Argos-3?" asked Yui.

"Have you noticed somethin'? It's been a little _too_ easy so far. Doesn't it seem kinda...Ya know, odd?" asked Joshua over the radio.

"...Now that you mention it, I see what you mean. ..White-Fang 1 to All units, approach the next phase with caution." said Yui over an open channel.

"Ah great! We got BETA on the way!" said Akihiro over the radio.

"What?! Argos-1, How many are there?!" asked a shocked Yui.

"About 100,000 from what I'm seeing. Maybe we should split into teams for now." said Akihiro over the radio.

"No! We have to stay together!" said Yui.

"If the BETA take all of us down, who will stop Ridley?!" asked Akihiro over the radio.

Yui knew that he had a point there. It's a hard situation, but there's not much of an alternative. If she had the power to ensure that everyone will make it back alive, she would do it in a heartbeat. But even she knows that there is no victory without sacrifice.

"...White Fang 1 to all units. We will be splitting into squads. The Argos Flight and myself will be assisting the Royal Guard and the Soviet Forces. Argos-1 and Idar-1 will be going ahead towards the Razenack Headquarters. This is the only chance we have." said Yui over the open channel.

"It only makes sense to send the best pilots. I ain't got any objections." said Joshua over the radio.

"Idar Leader to Idar-1. Good luck. ..And give them hell." said Sandek over the radio.

"Roger. ..Akihiro! Let's go!" said Cryska.

"Roger that, Cryska!" said Akihiro over the radio.

After that exchange of words, Akihiro 's Shiranui Phase 3 flew ahead and headed towards the base with Cryska's Predator MR-S not too far behind.

"Cryska, we're the only chance this world has." said Akihiro.

"I know...And time is running out. We need to hurry." said Cryska over the radio.

"Here I come, Ridley!" Akhiro thought to himself as the swarm of BETA head towards the rest of the Yukon-Royal Guard-Soviet forces. The last shot focuses on both Akihiro and Cryska heading towards the Razenack Headquarters in the distance.

-To Be Continued-


	19. Chapter 15: A Familiar Foe

-Chapter 15: A Familiar Foe-

While Akihiro Flynn and Cryska Barchenowa proceeded to head towards the Razenack's Main base of operations, the rest of the Argos-Imperial Guard-Soviet Forces stayed behind to fight off the BETA. All of a sudden, in the midst of the confusion, A Soviet Terminator Su-47 appeared before the remaining Argos Flight.

"Well! Look at what we have here!" said a deep, booming voice from the Terminator Su-47.

"It's been a while...Christopher." said Joshua from the 2nd Shiranui Phase 3.

"How?! He died two years ago!" said Yui over the radio.

"It's an AI. I know this trick from anywhere. ..But...I'd like a chance to kill this bastard myself, AI or not! You'll pay for taking my brother and my family, you damn monster!" said Joshua as his Shiranui drew the Imperial Guard sword.

"Go! Leave this to me!" said Joshua over Yui's radio.

"...Please return to us safely, Ensign O'Brien." said Yui.

After that exchange of words, A fight raged between Joshua and the Christopher AI. While Christopher was indeed an veteran soldier, Joshua's raw, savage skills as a TSF pilot allowed him to go toe-to-toe with his family's killer.

"Hn! You're pretty good!" said Christopher on an open channel.

"Oh, I'm just gettin' warmed up, ya bastard!" said Joshua before his Shiranui punched the Terminator Su-47 in the head are pretty hard.

"Gh! You wretch!" said Christopher angrily before kicking Joshua's Shiranui in the arm area.

"Damn it!" said Joshua as the Shiranui took quite a hit. He countered by shooting the Terminator Su-47 in the chest area with a small cannon.

"GUH!" exclaimed Christopher as he was knocked back. He tried to strike Joshua, but his Shiranui ducked and punched the Terminator in the back. He bent it's leg by grabbing it, then punching it and kneed the Terminator in the face really hard, which then caused pieces to fly off of it's head area.

"AGH!" said Christopher as the Terminator hit the ground on it's back.

All of a sudden, reinforcements came to help out the Christopher AI's Terminator, which was badly damaged due to Joshua's attacks. In an instant, Joshua was already outnumbered. His Shiranui was grabbed from behind by an enemy TSF, which he managed to break free from be elbowing it and shooting it in the head. However, Joshua was knocked to the ground after his radiator was shot by Christopher.

The Shiranui managed to get up, albeit barely.

"Any last words, boy?!" said Christopher as he was about to kill Joshua.

"...Bite me, motherfucker." said Joshua as his Shiranui leaped up and kicked the Terminator in the face hard enough to daze the Christopher AI. He dashed behind and kicked the Terminator to the ground, stabbed it in the head with a the Imperial Guard's sword and pulled the Terminator's head from it's shoulders. The Christopher AI was destroyed and the Terminator's head was tossed onto the ground along with the sword.

Joshua panted and looked on with a serious expression as the Shiranui tossed the cannon onto the ground due to it being out of ammo. With that done, he made light work of the rest of the enemy TSFs that were in the area. After that was over, he contacted Yui.

"...Argos-3 to White Fang-1...It's done." said Joshua, who was worn out from the battle.

"Argos-3, Are you sure you want to continue?" said Yui over the radio.

"Yeah, I do...For my buddies..." said Joshua.

\

The team on the other end has dealt with most of the BETA. But, unfortunately, many comrades have fallen because of them. Jerzy Sandek knew that the BETA Fort classes were too much to take on. So, in order to destroy them and protect the others, he decided to do the unspeakable.

"Lt. Takamura. I'm going towards the Fort Classes and I'm going to self-destruct. This is the only way to save the others. This is the only way for Ensign Flynn and Ensign Barchenowa to defeat Ridley without any more trouble than they're already facing." said Sandek over Yui's radio.

"Lt. Sandek, no!" said Yui.

"I realized that this is not just about me...It's about the others. It's about keeping this world safe from the BETA. And I'm now willing to do just that at any cost. If I have to sacrifice my life for the greater good...I will gladly give it." said Sandek, who was serious about this. Yui could tell that there was no use in stopping him.

"...We will remember you, Jerzy Sandek." said Yui.

Sandek just simply smiled and boosted towards the multiple Fort Class BETA. He activated the self-destruct sequence within his TSF.

"...Cryska. I know you've had a hard time since we've lost Ensign Sestina. ..But, I need you to be strong. Like you always have been. ...You are...like daughters to me...I never got to tell you that...And I'm sorry.." said Sandek in his last moments before his TSF exploded, which in turn, caused the obliteration of the BETA Fort classes.

Yui could only watch on as Jerzy Sandek was killed in the explosion. Despite the bad things he did in the past, he would redeem himself by helping to pave the way for Earth's future. The fate of the world now rests in Akihiro and Cryska's hands.

"Argos-3 to White Fang-1. The rest of the Argos Flight and I are advancing forward. We need ya at the front." said Joshua over the radio.

"Understood." said Yui as she flew towards the rest of the Argos Flight in the Takemikazuchi MKII.

\

As Akihiro and Cryska progress towards the Razenack HQ after defeating several enemy TSFs sent by Ridley, they have just recieved the news about Sandek's sacrifice.

"...Thank you, Sandek.." said Akihiro in a sorrowful tone as he piloted the Shiranui Phase 3.

"...Thank you, Lt. Sandek.." said Cryska in a sorrowful tone as she piloted the Predator MR-S.

As they try to take in what just happened, the last shot focused on the two as they continued to advance towards the Razenack HQ.

-To be continued-


	20. Chapter 16: The Will Of The Fallen

-Chapter 16: The Will Of Those Who Have Fallen-

Having reached the deserted capital of Guatemala, The alliance decided to stop in order to have some time to reflect on those who have fallen during this war. Over 200,000 pilots were killed during the conflict in Peru. This left around over 100,000 pilots remaining. Akihiro Flynn and Cryska Barchenowa have also stopped at the capital of Guatemala with the rest of the platoon at Yui's request.

This gave everyone time to reflect upon the loss of Jerzy Sandek, who sacrificed himself to destroy the fort class BETA that were going after Akihiro and Cryska, who were heading towards Colorado.

Most of the Guatemalan citizens have either been killed by the BETA or have already been evacuated. This place held memories for Akihiro. This was the same place where he first met Cryska and Inia, although it was not in the best of circumstances at the time.

Cryska begun to have flashbacks about the first time when she and Inia met Akihiro. They may have met in battle, but that still stands as one of her fondest memories today.

"..Flynn?" said Cryska.

"What is it, Cryska?" asked Akihiro as he turned around.

"...Do you remember this place?" asked Cryska with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah. It's where I first met you and Inia." said Akihiro as he looked at her.

"..When we were fighting you, I felt this connection. It was as if...you were the only one who could fight us alone. It was as if...you would go on, even if all odds were against you. ..Why?" asked Cryska sincerley.

"I wanted to protect the people I care about. And I still feel that way. I want to protect this world. I don't want to do that for any medal or award. I just like knowing that the people I love are safe. ..Including you."

"I see. ..I used to think that completing the tasks that Inia and I were given was the only thing worth living for in life. But...I met him...And he influenced me greatly. Since then, I feel as if I've become a different person. I didn't use to understand what that meant...But now I do." said Cryska.

"Sounds like Yuuya made an impact on your life. He seemed like a good guy...until he betrayed us. But...I can't shake off this feeling. It's as if...something's not right about this "betrayal"." said Akihiro.

"I see what you mean...It does sound suspicious.." said Cryska.

After that conversation, Akihiro and Cryska joined Yui Takamura and the Argos Flight as they all looked up at the sky. It was as if they were hoping that those who have fallen could see them from the sky above. Cryska felt a smile creep onto her face as she remembered Inia once more. Akihiro also smiled as he watched Cryska do so. Tears began to trickle down her face, so Akihiro put his arm around her to comfort her as she cried for the person she considered as a sister.

\

The whole platoon had a moment of silence out of respect of their fallen comrades. They gathered around in one large circle as they hung their heads down and closed their eyes for a moment of reflection.

As soon as the silence was over, tears started pouring down Akihiro's face. Stella, who was nearby, put her arm around Akihiro and comforted him as he let out his suppressed emotions while she did the same.

Many others were in tears as well, including Joshua, Fiona, Cryska and Yui. These bitter tears are those from suppressed emotions that were kept inside for so long. But after losing so much, those emotions were set loose. Yui manages to regain her composure and began to speak to the platoon.

"Those who have fallen...their great sacrifice...will forever be in our memories...And in our hearts..That, I am sure of." said Yui, who was evidently still tearful.

At that moment, Akihiro saluted. Shortly after, everyone was saluting as well. This was a farewell to those who have fallen in this war. For those who have fallen in any war. Akihiro stepped into the middle and began to speak.

"...Those who have fallen. Those who gave their lives so that the people we love could be free. So that they could be safe. ...If our comrades were around, they would tell us that it's a survivor's duty to do no less than what they were ready to die for. As soldiers, we all know this. And that's why...We will take down Ridley Abbott, we will take down The Razenack Corporate Army, we will restore democracy to the United States and return it to the way it was intended to be. Along with the rest of this world. Razenack aren't just afraid of me. They're afraid of you! They're afraid of all of us! So let's show them what we can really do!" said Akihiro as he gave a passionate speech to rally the troops.

The platoon cheered after Akihiro gave his inspiring speech. After all of this was done and after all the TSFs were refuelled, the remaining 120,000 Eishis climbed into their TSFs once more and were ready to set off. Yui climbed into the cockpit of the Takemikazuchi MKII and Akihiro and Cryska climbed into the cockpits of the Shiranui Phase 3 and Predator MR-S respectively.

The platoon launched their TSFs and flew into the sky, making their way towards the Razenack HQ once more in order to kill Ridley Abbott and take down the Razenack Corporation that held the world under it's thumb for a whole year now. Enough was enough. They have already decided that they were going to take back the world that they stole from the people.

As Akihiro and Cryska flew ahead, The rest of the platoon were now flying over the Gulf Of Mexico and were heading towards San Antonio and Texas. Before they knew it, Enemy TSFs came charging towards the platoon and opened fire on them. The Platoon fought back as hard as they could. They all knew that they were charging through the Last Frontier before reaching Colorado.

This would prove to be a pivotal moment. Not just in this battle, but also in the war. This event could decide who wins this war. The fate of the world rests in the hands of Akihiro Flynn, Cryska Barchenowa, Yui Takamura, Stella Bremer, Fiona Ackerfeldt, Joshua O'Brien and the rest of the platoon. The final shot focused on the platoon fighting against the Razenack TSFs.

"IKE!" yelled Akihiro as the he and the rest of the pilots charged in their TSFs towards the enemy.

-To Be Continued-


	21. Chapter 17: The Final Frontier

-Chapter 17: The Last Frontier-

In Texas, The battle raged on as the allied forces takes down the enemy TSFs that tried to stop them from getting to the Razenack Headquarters. As Akihiro and Cryska progressed towards the base while shooting through a sheer number of enemy TSFs, they felt a sudden shake, as if it was an earthquake.

"What?!" exclaimed Cryska as the ground beneath her shook.

"Wait! This isn't earthquake! It's a fortress!" said Akihiro over Cryska's intercom.

All of a sudden, A fortress-sized, crab-like battle machine rose up from a giant hole that was created from the underground. As it took it's first steps onto the service, it destroyed several buildings and structures in the area.

"Shiranui! Have you seen the power of the Shinigami that can scorch Japan?!" said an unknown pilot from the fortress's public address system.

"You're gonna pay for this, you jerk!" said Akihiro.

"Heheh! Don't underestimate us! All units, the enemies are Shiranui and The Predator! Do your best to show him the power of the Shinigami!" said the unknown pilot to the several pilots operating the fortress.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" yelled Akihiro angrily.

"FIND ANOTHER WAY!" replied the pilot.

"FEEL THE WRATH OF THE USA!" said a booming voice from the fortress's public address system. It fired several missiles in Akihiro and Cryska's direction. Both of them dodged the missiles and landed on a nearby road.

"DAMN YOU!" said the voice.

"Alright, we're going in. Destroy the legs first then focus on the core." said Cryska over Akihiro's intercom.

"Got it. Let's do this, Cryska!" said Akihiro.

And with that exchange, The Shiranui Phase 3 and Predator MR-S flew towards the fortress in order to take it down. The fortress opened fire on the both of them with one of the fortress's giant gattling gun, which they easily manage to dodge.

"There's a shell covering each leg. Destroy the shell and you'll be able to destroy the leg. Be careful." said Cryska over Akihiro's intercom while instructions were displayed on Shiranui's cockpit monitor.

"I see. Thanks, Cryska." said Akihiro as he charges into start by destroying the front-left leg of the fortress. But as he would soon discover, the shell was too strong to be affected by machine gun ammo.

"Damn! The shell's too tough!" said Akihiro as he shoots down the missiles that were fired at him from the fortress. He puts the Type 87 Assult Cannon away and decides to try using the Type 74-PB Blade that the Shiranui was equipped with for Melee combat. He dashes forward and manages to slice down the shell.

"One down!" said Akihiro.

"Understood." said Cryska as she flew towards the damaged leg and sliced it in half with the automatic chainsaws from the Predator's arms. Cryska manages to fly towards the right side of the fortress and slice down the shell of the right-middle leg.

"Flynn!" said Cryska over Akihiro's intercom.

"Got it!" said Akihiro as the Shiranui flew towards the damaged leg and sliced it off with his blade.

\

Further back, Yui, The Argos Flight and the allied forces stayed behind to fight the enemy TSFs and the BETA. Stella, Fiona, Joshua and half of the remaining allied forces fought off the enemy TSFs while Yui and the other half of the allied forces fought off the BETA. However, the sheer number of BETA were beginning to take it's toll as comrades were TSFs were being destroyed and comrades were being killed.

"White Fang-1 to all units! Fall back and start making your way to the Razenack Headquarters!" said Yui over the open channel to the allied forces.

"Got it!" said Joshua over Yui's intercom.

"Right!" said Stella.

"Roger!" said Fiona.

All the units from the New Yukon Base, Japanese Royal Guard and Soviet Forces fell back and made their way towards the Razenack HQ. This was a tough situation due to the sheer number of BETA. But it was made easier due to the Razenack Forces' thinning numbers. By the end of the second day, their remaining forces were down from 2.9 million to 600,000. However, they knew that they had a long way to go if they wanted to win this war.

\

By the time the forces begun making their way to the Razenack HQ, Akihiro and Cryska have already destroyed the Shinigami Fortress leg's shells. It was now time for Akihiro to strike at the core of the fortress.

"HUUUUUUUAAAHH!" Yelled out Akihiro as the Shiranui striked the core of the fortress with his Type-74 PB Blade.

"Aw hell! All units, evacuate the fortress and report to the chief! Hurry!" ordered the unknown pilot. The units retreated and exited the fortress just in time before it exploded. Akihiro in the Shiranui Phase 3 and Cryska in the Predator MR-S watched on as the fortress self destructed before their eyes.

"Flynn." said Cryska over Akihiro's intercom.

"Alright. Let's go, Cryska!" said Akihiro as the both of their TSFs flew off and made their way towards the Razenack HQ once more.

\

After 3 days and 18 hours, The allied forces manage to reach the Razenack HQ in Colorado. Unexpetedly, there were no security measures and they just flew straight into the underground passage that lead into the Fortress. There's a good reason to believe that this may be a trap set up by Ridley. The remaining 25,000 Eishis of the allied forces lined up as they watched Akihiro, Cryska, Yui, Fiona, Stella and Joshua's TSFs head into Razenack's Underground Fortress.

"Argos-1, are you okay?" asked Yui over Akihiro's intercom while she smiled.

"Never been better, White Fang-1." said Akihiro as he smiled.

"...You will pay for all that you've done, Ridley." Stella thought to herself.

Fiona just looked on as the team progressed through the Fortress. This would be the start of the final phase of the battle and the war. This would prove to be a crucial event in winning the war. It would also determine the fate of the world.

\

In the main hangar of the Fortress, Ridley Abbott was in a fortified suit. He walked on the bridge, approached his BLACK SHELL TSF and stepped into the cockpit. He adjusted some settings and the mechanics below made sure that it was ready to go.

"...It's time we settled this once and for all, Akihiro Flynn." said Ridley as he laughed manically. The last shot focused on the BLACK SHELL's red "eyes" that looked as if they were looking ahead at Akihiro, Yui, Cryska, Fiona, Stella and Joshua as they approached the core of the fortress.

The end was now in sight.

-Next Chapter: Subchapter-

-To Be Continued-


	22. Subchapter 4: USSR BETA Attacks, 1996

-Subchapter 4: USSR BETA Attacks, 1996-

In 1996, The United Soviet Socialist Republic was attack by swarms of BETA. Thousands of civillians were already injured or killed during the attacks. The Soviet military's available options when it came to dealing with the BETA were limited, but they also knew that they had to take any measure, no matter how drastic in order to keep their nation safe.

Because of the severity of the issue, ABNIA were dispatched to help out the Soviet Forces and deal with the BETA. It was a bloody massacre as many of the Soviet Eishi were killed and eaten by the BETA.

"A squad of 18,000 Soldier classes at 12 o'clock! Let's take 'em out now, Aki! This'll be easy!" said Joshua over Akihiro's intercom.

"Gotcha!" said Akihiro. Both of them charged towards the Soldier Class BETA and opened fire on them. One by one, they fell. However, their killing spree was interrupted by several Tank Class BETA that were approaching the squad.

The left leg of Joshua's Guerilla-S TSF was damaged by a shot from a laser class BETA.

"Gh! This is Guerilla-2, I'm hit! Repeat, I'm hit!" said Joshua over the intercom.

"Kh! No one's dying on my watch!" said Akihiro as he opened fire on the Tank Class BETA, killing some of them.

A laser class BETA fired a shot and damaged Akihiro's Guerilla-S' left arm.

"Kh! Shit! My blade arm's damaged! Come on, you damn junkpile! MOVE!" yelled Akihiro while attempting to fly out from the Laser Class BETA's range. He has been having trouble with the new edition of the Guerilla-S. He often refers to it as a "Piece of shit" or a "Junkpile" due to it's unsatisfactory performance.

At that moment, The ABNIA forces were seperated by the laser class BETA's deadly laser. As a result, several of ABNIA's Eishi were killed by the Tank and Soldier class BETA.

However, hope came in the form of a Russian Terminator. It took down several of the BETA at once, dodging the laser class with ease and shooting them as well. This gave Akihiro the strength to take out the laser classes with just the Guerilla's cannon arm. He also takes out the Tank and Soldier classes along with the Terminator.

"Leave here at once..." said a duo of familiar voices over Akihiro's intercom.

"The Scarlet Twins?!" Akihiro thought to himself.

"Aki, let's go!" said Joshua over the intercom.

"No, We have to help them." said Akihiro.

"Aki, you're not-! GAH!" said Joshua before being shot down.

"Joshua?! JOSHUA!" Akihiro called out in deperation after hearing an explosion over the intercom. Joshua's Guerilla-S was shot down by a Laser Class BETA. Luckily, he survived after managing to bail out at the last second. However, he would not be seen for the next seven years after that event.

"Kh! YOU DAMN BASTARDS!" yelled Akihiro as he shoots and kills the Laser Classes in sight. The Terminator of the Scarlet Twins shoot down the Tank and Soldier classes that were trying to kill the rest of the ABNIA squad.

"All units, Pull out." said a familiar voice over the intercom.

"General Abbott?! But-!" said Akihiro.

"I have been lenient on you far too many times, Lt. Flynn. Either obey the orders that you have been given or you will be discharged. Make your choice now." said Ridley.

"...All units, this is Lt. Akihiro Flynn. Pull out of the operation immediately." said Akihiro over an open channel. At that moment, All of the remaining ABNIA Eishi prepared to pull out of the USSR operation. All of a sudden, A bleep was heard on Akihiro's interface. A flight of bomber aircrafts were above all of the Eishi. Wait...They were going to bomb Soviet soil!

"General, Wait! Don't do this!" said Akihiro, pleading for Abbott not to give the order to drop the bombs on Soviet soil.

"It's too late, Flynn. Pull out now or face being discharged. Bomb squad, Drop the bombs on the BETA. If the civillians do not evacuate, then so be it. Innocent people die all the time." said Abbott as he hung up.

"General Abbott! GENERAL ABBOTT!" Akihiro called out, but to no avail as he already hung up. The ABNIA Eishi retreated.

"Scarlet Twins, get out of there! The USSR is gonna be bombed!" said Akihiro over their intercom.

"...Understood." said the twins. As they responded not to Akihiro, but to the future Idar Leader and then-Soviet Squad Leader, Jerzy Sandek.

"_It was one of the worst days of my life. I was almost on the verge of being discharged or killed. Either way, I wouldn't have been serving in ABNIA if it wasn't for the fact that the board convinced Ridley to keep me onboard. After that, It seems that Ridley was growing impatient. He was planning something. And back then, I didn't know that. But then...My last mission...That was when the realization hit me..."_

\

The last shot focuses on the TSFs of Akihiro, Yui, Cryska, Stella, Fiona and Joshua, who were flying towards the core of the Razenack Underground Fortress. Where someone was waiting for them...

"I'll finish it this time, Ridley..." Akihiro thought to himself.


	23. Chapter 18: Red Eclipse

-Chapter 18: Red Eclipse-

The TSFs of Akihiro, Yui, Cryska, Stella, Joshua and Fiona flew towards the core of the Razenack HQ, where Ridley Abbott was said to be waiting for them. However, given the fact that Cryska, like Inia, has the ability of an Esper that allows her to read minds. While the ability is not as strong as Inia's, she had a faint, but very good idea of what he was thinking about. So she decides to ask him about what he's thinking.

"Lt. Flynn." said Cryska over Akihiro's intercom.

"What is it, Cryska?" asked Akihiro.

"...You remember that day in the USSR all those years ago, don't you?" asked Cryska over the intercom.

"...Yeah. I do. It was one of the worst days of my life. I almost lost Joshua on that day and Ridley was about to bomb the USSR. I couldn't believe that he would just allow innocent people to die. ..I thought that..was just inhuman." said Akihiro.

"Akihiro..." said Yui as she overheard their conversation.

"But now, I know...that I want to kill him. To avenge my comrades. To avenge VG, Sharon, Leon...And Inia.." said Akihiro.

"Then let's kick his ass and go home, buddy. After this, the war will be over." said Joshua over the intercom.

"White Fang-1 to all units. The fate of this world depends on the outcome of this battle. Which is why we must win." said Yui over the open channel.

And with that, The TSFs boosted through the fortress's main chamber and headed towards the core, where Ridley was waiting.

\

The team have finally reached the core of the base, Where Ridley's BLACK SHELL TSF was waiting for them. The red lines on the TSFs body would glow a menacing red. The heroes' TSFs landed in formation, ready to face Ridley's BLACK SHELL. This would mark the beginning of the final battle against the tyrant who killed many of the gang's comrades. This was the moment that Akihiro had been waiting for for six years. This was the time.

"I'm so glad that all of you could make it. Are you all trembling in fear of the BLACK SHELL?" said Ridley as he chuckled.

"Ridley Abbott..." muttered Cryska as she clenched her control bars in anger.

"Sorry, I was just trembling with excitement." said Akihiro as his Shiranui drew the sword, The Type 74-PB Blade.

"Hmhmhmhm!..Let's fight, Everyone!" said Ridley as his Black Shell drew it's custom high frequency laser sword.

"All units, Engage Ridley Abbott!" said Yui over the intercom.

Akihiro wasted no time and dashed towards Ridley before clashing blades with him several times. Ridley's BLACK SHELL flew back and fires several several rounds from his machine gun at Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3, which dodges and returns fire.

At that moment, Yui's Takemikazuchi MKII joined in the battle and attempted to strike the BLACK SHELL. However, Ridley dodges and kicks the MKII backwards, which in turn inflicts minor damage upon the machine.

"GUAH!" exclaimed Yui as he fell back.

"Yui! KH! RIDLEY!" yelled Akihiro as the Shiranui Phase 3 charged at Ridley's BLACK SHELL TSF and clashed blades several times once more. Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3 dashes backwards and Joshua in the second Shiranui Phase 3 enters the fray and clashes with Ridley.

"Joshua O'Brien! Your skill hasn't faded one bit! It's a shame that I must kill all of you." said Ridley with his sinister grin.

"Ain't happenin'!" said Joshua as his Shiranui kicks Ridley's BLACK SHELL TSF in it's head area.

"Kh!" exclaimed Ridley as he attempts to strike the Second Shiranui with his blade. At that moment, Stella in the Strike Eagle attempts to shoot at Ridley's BLACK SHELL from a distance with a Sniper Rifle. However, Ridley quickly picks up on this and attempts to strike down Stella. He jumps and almost cuts her down, But Yui in the Takemikazuchi MKII fights back and damages Ridley's BLACK SHELL TSF's right arm with her custom Type 74-PB Blade.

"GUOH! You wretch!" shouted Ridley as he opened fire on Yui, who dodges and returns fire.

At that same moment, Cryska joins in the battle in the Predator MR-S. She opens fire on Ridley's BLACK SHELL, who dodges most of the shots, but suffers damage to the left radiator after being hit.

"RIDLEY! I WILL AVENGE INIA!" yelled Cryska emotionally as the Predator MR-S attempted to slash the BLACK SHELL TSF with it's High Frequency Chainsaw blades. However, Ridley dodges and slashes the Predator's left radiator, which then suffers minor damage.

"Gh! How did he?!" said Cryska as her TSF shook due to being hit. However, she rebounded and clashes blades with Ridley several times before Ridley throws her off balance and attempts to strike at her cockpit.

However, Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3 entered the fray once more and defended Cryska by clashing blades with the BLACK SHELL once more, pushing against his blade.

"Ridley! Are you going to destroy America?!" yelled Akihiro.

"HEHAHAHAHA! So what?! But first, I'll begin by destroying ALL OF EARTH!" yelled Ridley as his BLACK SHELL pushed off Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3.

"Throughout history, humanity has discovered various forms of technology. Civilazations have progressed with this technology. So where does this leave our own civilization? ..Destruction! Destruction will bring an end to it all! Humanity and it's SUBCONSCIOUS ARE ALL WILLING THEIR OWN END!" yelled Ridley as he now descended completely into madness.

At that moment, Ridley's BLACK SHELL clashes blades with Akihiro's Shiranui several more times. This time, Akihiro parries Ridley's attacks and uses that opportunity to slice off the BLACK SHELL's damaged right arm and damage the left radiator with another slash.

"NUGH!" exclaimed Ridley due to being hit.

"Not on my watch!" yelled Akihiro.

Yui also saw an opportunity and damaged the BLACK SHELL's right radiator with a shot from her Takemikazuchi MKII's cannon.

"GUAGH!" yelled Ridley due to being hit once more.

Joshua's Shiranui opens fire on and damages the BLACK SHELL's legs while Ridley was distracted by the impact of Yui's blade.

"You wretch!" yelled Ridley as his TSF took more damage.

Cryska's Terminator damages the legs further by opening fire on them. The leg damage was so severe, that Ridley had to resort to flying in order to fight the team. At that moment, he engaged in combat with Akihiro once more.

While they fought, Akihiro would discover the BETA's Superior Hive. How did this form under the United States?! Not really wanting to think about it right now, Akihiro in the Shiranui Phase 3 continued to battle against Ridley's BLACK SHELL TSF.

After several more clashes and shots, Akihiro finally saw an opening and dashes towards the BLACK SHELL's damaged core, ready to strike.

"..It's time to end this." said Akihiro before the Shiranui struck the BLACK SHELL's core.

"NUUUAAAAHHHH!" screamed Ridley as the BLACK SHELL came crashing down in a fiery blaze.

"..Argos-1 to all units. I've stopped Ridley Abbott." said Akihiro over an open channel.

He smiled as he heard the others, with the exception of Cryska, who was actually smiling, cheer over the intercom at Ridley's defeat.

"But...I think our job is far from over. I've discovered the Superior BETA hive. ..If we destroy this hive, All of the others will be rendered useless. In other words, we'll destroy the BETA for good this time." said Akihiro.

"...You're not going in alone." said Cryska over the intercom.

"Cryska?" said Akihiro.

"I can speak with the superior. That was why I was made. And that, is why I will go with you." said Cryska over the intercom.

"..Thanks, Cryska." said Akihiro as he smiled. At that moment, the Shiranui looked up at the entrance to the hive. He got ready to enter. At that instant, he heard the sound of a TSF approaching. It was the Predator MR-S of Cryska!

"...That was quick. ..You ready?" asked Akihiro.

"...I've been ready since the day I was born." said Cryska over the intercom.

"Argos-1." said Yui over the intercom.

"What is it, White Fang-1?" asked Akihiro.

"I've just got word that the others are having a hard time dealing with the BETA outside. We're going to assist them. Good luck. You're going to need it. And please...Be careful." said Yui over the intercom.

"..I will. I promise." said Akihiro. He looked down at where the BLACK SHELL fell down. He had a dreadful feeling that the battle against Ridley was far from over. As if he had something else planned the whole time.

"Flynn. Let's go." said Cryska over the intercom.

"...It's time to save the world." said Akihiro as he boosted up wards in the Shiranui and entered the hive with Cryska's Predator MR-S. This would be another crucial event in ending the ongoing struggle between the human race and the BETA that has been going on for well over fourty years.

The last shot focuses on both of the TSFs as they flew through the tunnels of the hive, now ready to strike down anything that will oppose the both of them. This truly was the beginning of the end.

-To be continued-


	24. Chapter 19: Heading Into The BETA Hive

-Chapter 19: Heading Into The BETA Hive-

After Yui Takamura, Joshua O'Brien, Fiona Ackerfeldt and Stella Bremer left the Razenack Fortress in order to fight off the remaining Razenack-US forces and the BETA, They came under heavy fire from the reslilent Razenack-US forces. Yui and the others take out several of the Razenack forces and the BETA at once.

The group reform and discuss their next plan of action in order to take down the remaining forces of both the BETA and Razenack-US forces.

"Any plan of action?" asked Fiona in the Izanami R-78 TSF.

"White-Fang 1 to all units. I suggest we split up into two groups. My group will hold off the BETA. Ensign O'Brien's group will hold off the remaining Razenack Forces." said Yui over the open channel.

"I got no objections to that. Though, It'd be a good idea for all of us to rendevouz in the centre of the city." said Joshua over the intercom.

"Understood, Argos-3. My group will head west towards the swarm of BETA currently destroying the city. Group B will head east and hold off the Razenack forces. Now, Move out!" said Yui before heading off towards the west side of the city in the Takemikazuchi MKII.

"Team, we're headin' east! Let's go!" said Joshua before heading off towards the east side of the city in the second Shiranui Phase 3.

"...Akihiro. The fate of this world...depends on what you do now..." Yui thought to herself.

\

(Song: "Longing" by Gackt)

Akihiro and Cryska in the Shiranui Phase 3 and Predator MR-S respectively fly through the Superior Hive while being chased down by Tank-Class BETA in order to take down the Commanding Superior BETA, who is said to have been controlling the BETA for the past 40 years on earth. This was the time to take it down and destroy the BETA forever. Akihiro shoots down several of the BETA that were pursuing him and Cryska.

However, they were to discover that they were no longer in the United States as this hive was a tunnel that was created by Ridley Abbott's link to the Superior BETA that was stationed in Guinea, where Akihiro was working as a miner one year ago.

"This is a tunnel?!.." said Cryska over the intercom.

"...And I have a good idea where it's going. ..To where this whole thing began: Guinea." said Akihiro.

"In South Africa? Why?" asked Cryska over the intercom.

"I was working for a local company as a miner over there. Before I joined the CX4 project, I had been taking up several jobs ever since I left ABNIA in 1997. ..And I found their nest by accident. I ran for my life and I found the TSF I used to pilot back in my ABNIA days...Until Ridley shot it down." said Akihiro.

"I see. In any case, we have to stop them before they reach the others through this underground towards America." said Cryska.

"Yeah." said Akihiro before both of their TSFs speed off into the distance. They fight off the BETA that chased them and kept on moving. This was proving to be a difficult task, even for an esper such as Cryska. Despite the heavy resistance of the BETA, the two of them fought them off and kept on going towards the core of the hive.

(Soundtrack: "Yasashiki Konjou")

"_...After so many years of seeing this world suffer at the hands of the BETA and Ridley Abbott...I just want to save this world and bring the peace it had so long ago. I used to think that I was the only one who mattered...I used to think that I wanted to pilot TSFs, just to beat my father. ..But, I've learned so much ever since I joined the CX4 Project. And now...There is so much I want to and I need to say to you, So..Yui...Stella...Fiona...Joshua...Everyone. ...Please, wait for me. I'll be back after Cryska and I finish things up here. ..I promise._" Akihiro thought to himself while having flashbacks of the times he spent together with the friends he has made over the past year. He smiled as he remembered those fond memories while flying in the Shiranui.

(Song - "Snow Maiden" by Aki Misato)

And with that, Akihiro and Cryska continued their venture towards the core of the hive. Cryska looked on as she knew that the both of them were finally going to rid the world of the BETA once and for all.

\

Back in America, Yui's squad fight off the various classes of BETA as they charge towards the west side of the city of Colorado. This was proving to be critical as Yui was low on ammo after killing so many of the BETA. This could be a sign that the Superior BETA was now throwing everything it's got at the others.

On the east side, Joshua O'Brien was also running out of ammo as he and his own squad continued to fight off the Razenack-US forces, whose numbers were down to 2,500 while Joshua's squad consisted of 1,000. Stella was also assisting. However, her Strike Eagle TSF's Sniper Rifle ran out of ammo, so Stella ends up switching to the default cannon that the machine was equipped with.

At that moment, Joshua ran out of ammo, so his Shiranui threw the cannon away and switched to the Type-74 PB blade that the machine was equipped with and slices down several of the Razenack-US forces before being outnumbered by them.

"Got some bad news, Yui. I'm outta ammo. And ideas." said Joshua from the second Shiranui Phase 3 as he slashed and fought off the enemy forces that tried to attack and kill him.

"Do not falter! We can beat them!" said Yui over the intercom as she shoots and strikes down the BETA at her position.

At that moment, Stella's Strike Eagle charged in with Fiona's Izanami R-78 and shot down the Razenack-US forces and BETA respectively. At that same time, Joshua manages to find a grenade designed for TSFs and his Shiranui chucks it at Stella's Strike Eagle, who caught it.

"Pull the pin and throw it to me, Stella! I'm dyin' out here!" said Joshua over her intercom.

Stella complied by pulling the pin and throwing the grenade to Joshua's Shiranui, who caught it. Joshua threw the grenade at a fuel tanker, which explodes and takes out hundreds of the Razenack US forces at once. At that point, he knew he was running out of fuel quicker due to the extensive damage on the Shiranui's fuel tank.

"Got more bad news, Yui. Tank's almost empty..at the worst possible time.." said Joshua as he slows down the second Shiranui Phase 3 in order to conserve fuel.

The last respective shots focus on Yui, Joshua, Stella and Fiona trying to fight off both the BETA and Razenack-US forces while Akihiro and Cryska are nearing the core of the Superior BETA's hive.

-To Be Continued-


	25. Chapter 20: The Heart Of The Crisis

-Chapter 20: The Heart Of The Crisis-

Akihiro and Cryska finally reach the core of the Superior BETA's hive. Their TSFs hover in midair as they look at the beacon of light that forms the core of the hive. All of a sudden, a giant being rises from the light and positions itself, facing the two TSFs. It looked almost like a sea monster. With a long, meaty neck and sharp teeth. However, while it was eyeless, it could sense, hear, touch and taste.

"What...is that?.." asked a shocked Akihiro.

Cryska looked just simply looked up in horror at the creature.

"I...I am the monument to all your sins..." said the Superior BETA in a cunning, monstrous voice as it raised it's thin, but huge arms. The giant claws on his fingers folded menacingly.

"I have watched all of humanity through time a d rock and metal and stone. I am the superior existence to all beings. Those who I command are just simply an existence. Planets and Civilizations have fallen before me. All will fall before the might of the BETA. Including this wretched planet of humanity..." said the Superior BETA.

"That's where you're wrong...Your kind has overstayed their welcome...And now we're either gonna drive you back out...Or we'll drive you to extinction!" said Akihiro defiantly.

"Foolish human...What makes you think you can slay a god?" asked the Superior BETA.

"We don't need gods to rule over our world! I'm sure of that! I always have been!" said Cryska defiantly.

"Yes...This will be the final trial for humanity to face. Show me what both of you can do..Let this be your final trial! I will destroy you all!" said the Superior BETA as it summoned a scythe shaped weapon.

Both the Shiranui Phase 3 and Predator MR-S want into their battle stance with their Type-74 PB Blade and Chainsaw Blades respectively before they charge in and attempt to attack the Superior BETA's glowing headpiece.

It fired several laser shots at Akihiro and Cryska, who managed to dodge them. Akihiro returned fire with the Shiranui's cannon, but the Superior BETA's skin deflected the shots the cannon fired at it.

"How foolish..." said the Superior BETA as it fired laser shots from it's giant left hand. The Cryska's Predator MR-S's left leg suffered minor damage due to the high heat and velocity from the laser, even if Cryska did manage to dodge it.

"GAH!" exclaimed Cryska as her cockpit shook due to her TSF taking damage.

"No, Cryska!" called out Akihiro as his Shiranui dodged the laser shots from the Superior BETA. The Shiranui Phase 3 froze, as if the Superior BETA was trying to gain control of it. Akihiro struggled hard to keep the Shiranui under control in order to not succumb to it's controlling influence, pulling the control bars as hard as he can.

"Did you really think you could defeat me, humans? I am god. You are all but insects...Do you have any final words you wish to speak before I strike the both of you down?" asked the Superior BETA in it's monstrous, sinister tone.

In almost an instant, the Superior BETA was about to strike down the Predator MR-S. All of a sudden, the Shiranui Phase 3's dashboard screen began to flicker. It showed images of a mysterious white female silhouette.

"...I'll lend you power.." said a mysterious female voice. Akihiro looked around to check who it was. However, he saw the Prafka Drive button on his dashboard glow blue. This means that the Prafka Drive system was ready to activate.

"Prafka Drive!" shouted Akihiro as the Shiranui Phase 3 started to glow a bright blue. It flew up and dashed around at light speed and dodged every attack the Superior BETA threw at it.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Akihiro yelled out with a battle cry. The Shiranui use the Type 74-PB Blade, slices through and struck the glowing core of the Superior BETA's chest. It let out a huge amount of BETA blood due to the slash being enhanced by the Prafka Drive system.

"GUAGH! IMPOSSIBLE! YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME! I AM A GOD!" the Superior BETA yelled out as it held it's bleeding chest in pain.

"...Not for long.." said Akihiro as he fired one round from the Prafka enhanced cannon at the Superior BETA's heart.

"...You have proven that you are indeed capable, humans...Now...protect your world with everything that you are.." said the Superior BETA's inner echoing voice.

"...Of course we will. Humanity isn't that stupid." said Akihiro, who shuts of the Prafka Drive.

the Superior BETA falls and dies as it succumbs to the wounds left by Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3. This would prove to be a huge victory as back in America, the BETA are dying off one by one. Suddenly, the Shiranui Phase 3's fuel tank refilled. Akihiro looked at the dashboard to see a full tank of fuel. He was surprised, because moments ago, the fuel tank was incredibly low.

Realizing that Cryska had passed out from being hit by the Superior BETA's laser shot, the Shiranui Phase 3 carries the Predator MR-S on it's back and the two of them started making their way back to the United States of America, where the others were waiting for them.

\

Joshua O'Brien, who took out the last of the Razenack-US forces, panted as he held the control bars of the second Shiranui Phase 3 and watched the BETA fall one by one. He sighed with relief and felt a smile creep upon his face.

"Heh..It's over." a relieved Joshua said to Yui over the intercom.

Yui Takamura in the Takemikazuchu MKII smiled as the BETA fell one by one. This was a huge victory for humanity as she knew that Akihiro and Cryska saved the world by killing the Superior BETA that was commanding them.

"Is it...finally over?" asked Fiona over the intercom.

"...I think it is." said Yui.

"Thank god..." said Stella over the intercom.

However, their moment of celebration was interrupted by the all-too familiar voice of their greatest enemy. After seeing that fiery wreck in the fortress, how could he have survived?!

"...It's not quite over yet, Lt. Takamura." said a very familiar voice over the intercom.

"No! Impossible! How did you survive?!" said Yui as she gasped and widened her eyes in shock.

"Son of a bitch!" yelled Joshua, whose TSF was dangerously low on fuel.

"How?!" asked Fiona as her eyes widened with her hands shaking.

"...He has a new and more powerful machine." said Stella over the intercom.

The last shot focused on a mysterious black aircraft as it looked as if it was carrying a mysterious new black TSF. It is revealed that Ridley is sitting inside the cockpit as he gave another one of his spine-chilling grins.

"The BETA sought a world of endless war and destruction...On that, we could agree.." said Ridley before he started laughing manically.

\

"...Back for more, huh Ridley? ...Alright, This is it. This is the last one!" said Akihiro as he overheard him on the open channel while the Shiranui Phase 3 carried the Predator MR-S. This would prove to be the final showdown between the two greatest pilots in ABNIA with one of them being joined by the Russian Esper.

Whatever was in store for Akihiro, it surely is in no way a good thing.

-To Be Continued-


	26. Chapter 21: UNEARTH

-Chapter 21: UNEARTH-

The black aircraft, which was piloted by Ridley Abbott approaches the war-torn battlefield that was once a city inhabited by civillians. This was the craft that would be the one that Ridley would use to challenge Akihiro and the others to a true final battle.

"A world of order built by the United Nations...Is not one I can live in." said Ridley as he flew over the countless destroyed buildings and city ruins. This was the first time that he was being truthful. Underneath the psychotic laughs lies a dark, twisted man whose life was ruined and dominated by senseless warfare.

At that moment, The aircraft began to fall apart and eject the the TSF that it was holding. The machine dropped to the ground below and would leave a coud of dust in it's wake upon landing.

"What is that thing?!" said Fiona over Yui's intercom.

"...I don't know. All readings identify it as "Unknown"." said Yui.

"...This world isn't worth saving at all. You all kill it slowly, not realizing the harm that you do until it's too late. ..The death I wished to give all of you will be quick, senseless and painless. But now..." said Ridley over everyone's intercom through a hacked network.

A large, black TSF with orange lights emerged from the cloud of dust that was left in it's wake.

"...So you abandoned mankind to destroy the world?" asked Stella.

"...There is no place for me other than the battlefield. I'll live as I please...And die a senseless death. ..THAT is who I am, not a mere man of flesh." said Ridley as the black TSF began to hover above the ground while facing his enemies' TSFs.

"What are you?..." Yui thought to herself.

"..War...Is part of my existence.." said Ridley as the TSF boosts towards them, leaving a wing-shaped flame from the machine's thrusters. It revealed a custom laser blade and clashes blades with Yui.

"It's after me?!" she thought to herself as her Takemikazuchi MKII quickly countered his attack. She manages to push him off, only to fire several lock-on scatter missiles at her. Yui acts fast and dashes away from the missiles that were chasing her.

Yui fired several shots at the black TSF from her cannon, which Ridley dodged in the mysterious black TSF at lightspeed while dashing and firing several more of it's missiles. Yui noticed straight away that this was a very quick and powerful machine. This could may very well be Ridley's last resort.

While Yui is trying to dodge several of the Black TSF's missiles, Ridley speeds up to her and his TSF begins to emit a powerful energy. A powerful energy explodes from the TSF and greatly damages Yui's Takemikazuchi MKII.

"Gah!" she exclaimed due to the velocity of the explosion.

"Is this all you can do, Yui Takamura? Prepare to face the power from UNEARTH!" said Ridley over the intercom before he starts laughing manically and unleashes another energy explosion from the Black TSF, UNEARTH.

The Takemikazuchi MKII's right arm fell off due to taking extensive damage from the blast. At that moment, Joshua O'Brien in the second Shiranui Phase 3 joined in the fray with the small amount of fuel he had left. His Shiranui fires rifle shots at UNEARTH, which dodges and returns fire with several lock-on missiles.

Before Joshua could attempt to dodge, his Shiranui ran out of fuel, forcing it to drop to the ground. With that, he could no longer take part in the battle, to which he expresses his frustration by punching Shiranui's control board.

"Tank's empty, Lt. Takamura.." said Joshua over the intercom.

At that moment, Stella's F-15 Eagle TSF attempts to battle Ridley Sniper shots and Fiona's Izanami R-78 TSF, which attempted to charge in and fight UNEARTH head on.

"You're not my father!" screamed Fiona as she opened fire on Ridley's UNEARTH TSF. He simply replies by dodging her shots and performing another charged explosion, which in turn, damages the Izanami R-78 and puts it out of action.

"NO!" yelled Fiona as the damaged and wrecked Izanami R-78 TSF fell to the ground.

Not too long after, Stella was also taken out of action due to a powerful shot from one of UNEARTH's arm cannons, which hit her TSF in the chest area, damaging the radiators and the cockpit.

"GUAGH!" she screamed as the damaged F-15 Eagle TSF was put out of action.

The Takemikazuchi MKII of Yui Takamura could no longer move due to suffering extensive damage from the blast from earlier on in the battle. She felt that deep down in her heart of hearts that it was all over for her.

"No...I...can't die here...No...please..." she thought to herself in desperation.

"AKIHIRO!" she screamed out as a cry for help.

At that moment, as if a miracle happened, Akihiro Flynn's Shiranui Phase 3 TSF arrives with Cryska Barchenowa's Predator MR-S TSF. The Shiranui engages in battle with UNEARTH straight away.

"FLYNN!" screamed out Ridley before using UNEARTH to fire lock-on missiles at the Shiranui Phase 3 of Akihiro, who shoots down the missiles with ease.

"...What is that ugly thing?!" said Akihiro, who was heard by the others over the intercom.

"Argos-1!" said Yui, Stella, Fiona and Joshua in a relieved unison, to which Akihiro smiled about.

"...Cryska. Are you ready to take down Ridley for good?" asked Akihiro as the Shiranui Phase 3 got into a battle stance while holding it's Type-74 PB Blade.

"I'm ready...I will avenge Inia!" said Cryska as her Predator MR-S got into a battle stance with it's cannons in hand.

"Enough words. They're meaningless now. Show me what you can do!" said Ridley before charging at the pair in the UNEARTH TSF. The last shot focuses on UNEARTH boosting towards the camera. This would be the beginning of the final showdown between two of the finest former ABNIA pilots with the Russian Esper helping the one who has been robbed of his comrades all those years ago.

-Next: Final Subchapter-

-To Be Continued-


	27. Final Subchapter: The Final Mission,1997

-Subchapter 5: The Final Mission, 1997-

In the cold December of 1997, An ABNIA TSF squad led by Akihiro Flynn was tasked with delivering resources and parts from America to one of Africa's top bases. These parts would prove to be crucial in the development of TSFs in the near future.

Upon completing the task that was given to them, The squad were returning to where they had set up camp in the south of Uganda. The rest of the team, with the exception of Akihiro, would have a laugh and reflect on the success of the recent mission.

All of a sudden, an alarm was heard in the distance, as if there was an emergency. However, the base was not being attacked. So why was the alarm wailing so loudly? It was wailing perhaps louder than it usually did at the time.

"What the?!" said Akihiro as he saw a fiery glow over the horizon.

"Captain, what is it?" said one of the units over Akihiro's intercom.

"BETA, over the horizon?...Wait, they're heading towards us!" said a shocked Akihiro.

"What?! How did they know our position?! Nobody could have known unless someone leaked it!" said another unit over Akihiro's intercom.

In an instant, A swarm of BETA covered the horizon. There were such a sheer number, that it was hard to know exactly how many there were. Akihiro looked on with both fear and anger in his eyes. He suspected that someone did indeed give away their position.

"All units, prepare to-!" yelled Akihiro before being interrupted.

However, before he could complete the order, he could hear the screams of one of his comrades being crushed to death inside his cockpit by a claw from a Grapple class BETA. Akihiro looked on in horror as he listened to the screams followed by the static of his comrade's intercom cutting off.

"STU! NO!" he called out in desperation. Out of anger, he lets out a battle cry and tries to fight off the BETA inside his Guerilla-S TSF with just a single cannon.

"Captain Flynn! I need some-GUAAAHHH!" A unit called out before being shot down by a laser class above.

"MARIE!" Akihiro screamed out as another one of his comrades was killed. He began to panic mentally. This whole thing just went from just a simple supply escort mission into a colossal nightmare. His comrades were being killed left and right and he was powerless to do anything.

"Abbott! I need reinforcements! Now!" yelled Akihiro as he tried to contact Ridley Abbott.

"Hmhmhm...Just give up, Flynn." said Ridley as he laughed before cutting him off.

"Abbott?! Abbott!" yelled Akihiro as he tried to re-establish a network with Ridley. Sadly, this was to no avail. The chaos continued and more of Akihiro's comrades were killed until he was the only one left standing.

He escaped death by heading into the sky in the Guerilla-S TSF, only to be shot down and crash onto a shore about ten minutes later.

"GUAAAAHHH!" screamed out Akihiro as his Guerilla TSF crashed onto a shore and fell to pieces on impact.

At that moment, he opened the cockpit hatch, stepped out and landed on the sand on his hands and knees before trying to stand up. He stumbled due to being dazed from the impact of the crash.

He looked up at the fiery glow on island he escaped from and could only watch as the mayhem unfolded. Realizing that he had lost all of his comrades and the friends that he had made in life, the grief-stricken Akihiro fell to his knees and began to tear up. He bellowed a grief-filled scream at the sky. From that moment on, he swore never to return ABNIA again. He also swore that he would never fight in a TSF again...Until now.

-Present Day-

Akhiro looked on at Ridley's UNEARTH TSF in rage before his Shiranui Phase 3 TSF drew out his Type 74-PB Blade and began to charge at Ridley, letting out a rage-filled scream before striking at him.

"RIDLEY!" he screamed out before he began to fight his sworn nemesis one last time in order to avenge his comrades.

-To be continued-


	28. Chapter 22: Verdict Day

-Chapter 22: Verdict Day-

The final battle has begun and Ridley's UNEARTH TSF dashes towards Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3 TSF, who dashes at Ridley, who clashes blades with Akihiro several times, flies back and fires several lock-on missiles. Akihiro shoots them all down in the Shiranui Phase 3 with ease.

"Ridley! Today, you die!" said Akihiro as his Shiranui fired it's cannon at Ridley's UNEARTH TSF.

"Then it's time I put you down for good, you wretch!" replied Ridley through the intercom.

The Black TSF reacted by dodging the shots quickly and firing several more missiles at the Shiranui. Akihiro attempts to outrun the missiles due to the fact that the missiles are so close behind, that turning around to try and shoot them down would be suicide.

At that moment, Cryska's Predator MR-S intervened and shot down the missiles that were chasing Akihiro. Ridley turns his attention to Cryska and fires several lock-on missiles at her Predator MR-S. She shoots the missiles down with ease, but in the blast, Ridley saw an opportunity and blasts the Predator's right leg with it's huge rifle, which greatly damages the Predator and forces Cryska's machine to grind and trip over.

"GH!" exclaimed Cryska as her cockpit shook from the impact and the sudden drop in speed, which caused the machine to trip and fall to the ground. Because of the extensive damage to the Predator's leg from the shot, Cryska's machine was disabled for combat.

"..Flynn..My machine has suffered from extensive damage and fuel leaks...You're on your own now.." said Cryska over Akihiro's intercom.

"You did your best, Cryska...Thank you for everything. Now just focus on getting back to the others. I'll deal with Ridley and finish him once and for all." said Akihiro.

"Roger that." said Cryska as she emerged from the Predator and began to run for the stricken TSFs of Yui Takamura, Joshua O'Brien, Stella Bremer and Fiona Ackerfeldt, who all saw Cryska approaching.

"It's Barchenowa!" said Joshua in the distance.

"Lt. Barchenowa!" said Yui in the distance.

Cryska smiled as she ran towards her comrades and explained everything that had happened with her and Akihiro up until now.

While that goes on, The final battle between Akihiro and Ridley. Ridley's UNEARTH TSF dashed towards Akihiro and charges up his particle blast that took down the others. However, Akihiro manages to dash back in time and shoot the UNEARTH with the Shiranui's cannon to inflict damage upon Ridley's machine.

"Impossible!" said Ridley as he tries to dodge and fires several more lock-on missiles. Akihiro manages to shoot down most of them, but the blast from one of them inflicts minor damage to the Shiranui Phase 3, but not enough to put him out of the fight.

"Damn!" said Akihiro as he dodges more of the shots from one of UNEARTH's huge rifles. The Shiranui Phase 3 returns fire and dashes towards UNEARTH, which dashes towards Shiranui and charges up it's particle blast once more. Akihiro dashes back, but the Shiranui is damaged by the blast. He opens fire on UNEARTH once more, which, due to the extensive damage that it has taken so far, lands behind some rubble.

"No! It can't be!.." said Ridley as the UNEARTH looks as if it was defeated.

However, Akihiro knows Ridley better than that and prepares for the worst by getting Shiranui into a battle stance while preparing his cannon and Type-74 PB Blade.

"HmhmhmHAHAHAHAHA! Is that what you wanted me to say?! All is going according to plan! HEHEHAHA!" said Ridley while laughing as the UNEARTH reveals it's final form. Several parts open up and reveal orange light around the body, from which countless particles emanate from. This enhances UNEARTH's weapons and flight abilities at an immense rate.

"..It wouldn't be like you if you didn't do something like this, Ridley." said Akihiro over Ridley's intercom.

"It's not the BETA that will destroy mankind, Akihiro. But it is actually mankind that will be destroyed by it's own hand. Hope for this pathetic species is nothing more than an absurd myth constructed by the governments of this world." said Ridley before he launches UNEARTH into the sky, which prepares for one more battle against Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3.

"Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" said Akihiro as he prepares for the final phase of the battle against the glowing UNEARTH TSF.

While the battle continues, Several military helicopters land on an ocean vessel and collects the remaining surviving Eishi of the recent war. Including Yui, Joshua, Fiona, Stella, Cryska and over 8,000 others who were left alive after the war was over.

The helicopters prepared to take everyone back to the New Yukon Base over in the Atacama Desert.

Yui watched the several explosions in the distance where the battle was taking place. She looked on with a worried expression, hoping that Akihiro would defeat Ridley and return home alive. But she knows that in war, anything can happen. All she could do was hope that fate was on her and the other's side.

"Akihiro...I trust that you will come back to us safely after this battle is over. ..You have proven to me that you are an exceptional pilot. Possibly the best pilot I've ever seen in my life..." Yui thought to herself as she watched on.

Stella looked on with confidence as she knew that Akihiro was going to win against Ridley. She had worked with him all this time. And from all the time that she had known him, Akihiro Flynn was never the type who would give up so easily.

"Never give up, Aki...Show him that same spirit that you've shown all of us all this time. You can take him." Stella thought to herself while smiling.

Cryska simply smiled and watched on from the another helicopter that was transporting her back to the New Yukon Base. She also had full confidence that he would make it back alive after the battle and the war was over.

The last shots focused on the helicopters flying into the distance, the ocean vessel that recovered the wrecked TSFs and the final battle that was raging between the Shiranui Phase 3 of Akihiro Flynn and the UNEARTH TSF of Ridley Abbott.

-To Be Continued-


	29. Chapter 23: A Moment To Reflect

-Chapter 23: A Moment To Reflect-

The battle between Akihiro Flynn and Ridley Abbott rages on as Ridley aims and fires several more missiles from his UNEARTH TSF at Akihiro's Shiranui Phase 3, who both shoots down some of the missiles and dodges the others. The battle was almost at it's conclusion and both machines are extremely damaged from the combat.

"All these years...All these years I have wished to create a perfect world where no more suffering would occur...And here you are, trying to ruin that dream I had! The last ounce of hope I had for this filthy planet!" said Ridley as he charges at and shoots the Shiranui Phase 3's radiator.

"Gh!" Akihiro exclaimed as the cockpit due to the Shiranui Phase 3's radiator being damaged from the shot fired by Ridley's UNEARTH TSF.

Akihiro retaliated by firing the remaining rounds from his cannon in order to inflict damage on UNEARTH's generator, which succeeds to a certain degree. While the shots did damage the generator, it wasn't enough to fully take down the monstrous machine.

"You think that explaining things now would justify everything you've done?!" yelled Akihiro as the Shiranui Phase 3 used a handgun it picked up from a destroyed TSF.

The shots fired managed to damage UNEARTH's generator and slow it down significantly. That was a shot for those who have fallen in Ridley's name. "The leader of a free world" was the term people referred to him as before the war started.

"I wanted to see their deaths with my own eyes!" said Ridley as UNEARTH fired a shot at the Shiranui's left leg and blown it off.

"Kh! The left leg's gone! ..But..You'll have to do better than that!" Akihiro thought to himself.

"HAHAHAHAHA! ANY LAST WORDS, AKIHIRO FLYNN?!" said Ridley in a hysterical tone.

Akihiro replied by using the Shiranui's acquired hand gun to shoot at and damage UNEARTH's main thrusters. The extent of the damage was so great, that Ridley was unable to keep his machine up right during air combat. Eventually, after one final shot from Akihiro's Shiranui, it was no use. UNEARTH plummeted towards the ground below, but barely managed to land by using what was left of the thrusters to ease the impact. UNEARTH's left arm exploded due to the extensive damage, which in turn, disabled UNEARTH for combat.

Akhiro floated in the air in the Shiranui Phase 3 and pointed the handgun, which only had one last bullet, at UNEARTH.

"On my last mission, you sacrificed us, Right?! You killed my comrades!" said Akihiro as he prepared to fire the shot at UNEARTH's generator.

"Hmhmhm...So what?...I refuse to believe, even now, that mankind has any hope...I'll never forgive this wretched world that destroyed my life...And everything in it...Kh...My weapons are already in motion...The towers power from above power them...They'll continue without me..." said Ridley as UNEARTH was terminally damaged and was unable to move.

"...The battle for them have begun...They'll continue until everything is in ruin...However, if you think you're different...And you are, as you've proven that to me and many others...Then by all means, carry on...You have that right and very responsibility to do so..." he continued before the generator started glowing, signalling that it was about to explode.

"...That's exactly what I'll do. As long as I can still fight, That's what I'll keep doing!" said Akihiro.

"...Good..." said Ridley with his spine-chilling grin before UNEARTH proceeded to explode due to the generator's extensive damage.

Akihiro could only look on as his nemesis was killed in the blast. It was over. He got his revenge. The revenge that he had waited six years to achieve.

At that moment, United Nations helicopters arrived in order to pick up the wreckage of the Shiranui Phase 3 and Akihiro, who was wounded from the battle. The crew from the helicopter connected the cables to the TSF to the helicopter and got ready to depart.

"Akihiro Flynn! You did it! You killed the tyrant!" said one of the pilots.

Akihiro could only smile as he was too exhausted to even speak. Before the helicopter took off, he fell asleep. At that moment, the helicopter took to the skies and made it's way back to the New Yukon Base in the Atacama Desert.

The helicopter arrived back at the base with the wreckage of the Shiranui Phase 3. Akihiro jumped off the helicopter when it was close to the ground. Upon entering the base, he was greeted with a thunderous applause from the others.

In the distance, he saw Yui, who was looking at him with an endearing smile.

"Alright, Aki! You did it! You deposed the tyrant and saved the world!" said Joshua as he rushed over to congratulate

Akihiro nodded and shook hands with his former comrade before they gave each other a "bro-hug". Fiona Ackerfeldt was the next to approach him. She looked at him with a smile and an expression of gratitude.

"...Thank you, Captain. You saved us all." said Fiona.

"...I couldn't have done it without my comrades." said Akihiro as he smiled.

Stella was the next to walk over. She hugged his arm, which in turn, caused Akihiro to feel her huge breasts on it.

"You did good, hero~" said Stella before she winked at him.

"Eheh...Thanks, Stella...You were a huge help too. I can't think of a better sniper in this base than you right now." said Akihiro as he maintained a slightly tired smiled.

After that, Akihiro looked at Yui in the distance and saluted at her, who then, with her endearing smile, saluted at him in return.

All of a sudden, Cryska arrived and walked over to Akihiro with an expression of admiration and respect for Akihiro.

"It's been an honor to fight alongside you, Akihiro Flynn." said Cryska with a smile.

"I couldn't have gotten far without you, Cryska. ..Thank you. For everything." said Akihiro sincerely.

"Who's up for some rounds at the bar?! It's time to party!" shouted Joshua.

The mechanics and pilots cheered in agreement. And who could blame them? After a rather short, but brutal and deadly war, it was time to party. However, this was interrupted by Yui who had an announcement.

"...In one week's time time at 7:00 am, we will hold a memorial for those who have fallen during the recent war. ..Until then, go out and celebrate." Yui said before she smiles.

Following that was some thunderous cheers from the crew and the pilots.

A week after the celebrations of their victory, every one of the mechanics and pilots were up at 7:00 am to gather at the main runway for a memorial in honor of those who have fallen during the BETA-Razenack War in Colorado.

The pilots murmured and reflected upon the events of the war. There was a somber, melancholic atmosphere in the air and understandably so. These people have lost friends, families and loved ones to this war.

At that moment, Yui Takamura proceeded to stand up onto the podium to begin her speech. She was met with applause as she walked up.

"...Good morning, everyone. This war has taken so much from not just us...But from so many civillians...Such as families...friends... and loved ones. This is a time to recall and to reflect. ..It is also a time to reaffirm that those sacrifices will never be forgotten for many years to come. ..Today, it is my honor to unveil this memorial to the troops who have fallen, which will stand forever, even if future conflicts should occur. As those who we have lost will live on in us...Now and forever." said Yui as a tear falls from her eye while she gives the speech.

After several hours, the services were over and all exercises were called off because of the memorial. This was a time to reflect. This was a time for silence. As for now, everyone can have a moment of peace...

-To Be Continued-


End file.
